High blood pressure rates nearly double during pregnancy
Rates of high blood pressure almost double during pregnancy, and only 60% of women receive treatment.
Fox – 26 Houston
When Dana Natale, known on TikTok as “Mama D,” became pregnant with her first child, her posts began to be inundated with comments like, “You can tell she’s pregnant just by looking at her nose.”
A confused Natale told her followers: “I just have a big nose. I’ve known that my whole life and I’m fine with it.”
But when she and her husband were looking back at old photos from her pregnancy, they noticed that, as her followers had said, her nose was a totally different size.
Natale posted the reveal on TikTok last week, writing, “You and your husband didn’t notice your nose when you were pregnant and couldn’t believe it was looking like this.”
The video has been viewed nearly 20 million times, with comments flooded with negative reactions such as, “Nasal problems caused by pregnancy are one of the main reasons why I can’t get pregnant.”
What is a “pregnancy nose”?
“Pregnancy nose” refers to the swelling that changes the appearance of your nose during pregnancy, says Jennifer Lincoln, MD, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and author of Let’s Talk About Down There. Some people also notice that their nose starts to run more frequently, says Franziska Heidanek, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist and online health educator.
Lincoln and Heydanek say this is completely normal and occurs due to the natural increase in fluid in blood cells that comes with pregnancy.
“That’s about a 50 percent increase from your non-pregnant baseline,” Heydanek says, “so every tissue in your body swells.”
According to Lincoln, hormonal changes during pregnancy can cause blood vessels in your nose to expand, making your nose appear wider and larger.
When does “pregnancy nose” occur and how long does it last?
Hydandek says that because your body will have less swelling after pregnancy, pregnancy-related nose changes are unlikely to permanently alter your face.
“This can be most noticeable in the third trimester when many of the pregnancy-related changes are at their peak,” Lincoln says, “and most often improves after birth.”
While a swollen nose due to pregnancy is nothing to worry about, Lincoln advises, “If you notice swelling in other areas, such as your entire face or hands, or if it’s accompanied by symptoms like headaches, vision changes, or liver pain, see your healthcare provider.”
These could be signs of preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication related to high blood pressure.
But Heidanek says other symptoms, such as swelling in the legs or vagina, can be normal during pregnancy.
Body shaming and pregnancy
Natale said she was bullied as a child because she had a “big nose” but “grew stronger” and no longer cares, but was “shocked” by comments people made about her appearance while she was pregnant.
After posting about her “pregnancy nose blindness,” she said she “got pretty slammed in the comments section,” with some criticizing her for “still having a big nose.”
Strangers also told her that her husband had lied to her and that he was “aware of it.”
More bothersome than the comments about her appearance was the idea that other women might take it to heart, and she hopes other women can find solace in her attempt to normalize the bodily changes that occur during pregnancy.
“For better or worse, we created a beautiful little human being,” Natale adds. “If her nose has to be big for three of the nine months of pregnancy, so be it. And it will grow back quickly after that.”
Meanwhile, she also revealed that her husband had told her throughout her pregnancy that he had “never been more attracted” to her.
“I liked that he supported me and didn’t say anything negative about my body,” she said, adding that she hopes all women can get a similar response from their husbands or partners.
Heydanek also says it’s important for people to be vulnerable about their experiences.
“Many people think of pregnancy as a beautiful and happy time, but in reality, many people experience a lot of discomfort,” she says. “Helping women normalize their discomfort and unwanted body changes can help them feel less alone.”
The obsession with ‘pregnancy noses’ is rooted in idealized beauty standards
In another video, TikTok user Becky Hathaway shared before and after photos of her pregnancy nose, which similarly drew negative comments. One user called her “the girl with the list,” a reference to a popular account that documents hundreds of reasons for not having children. Another user posted that their normal nose looked exactly like the pregnancy nose the trend is decrying.
“Women are constantly held to these body standards, whether they’re pregnant or not,” Natale says.
According to Lincoln, the “generally accepted and revered nose” was small and “very European.”
“Historically, wide or large noses have not necessarily been considered beautiful, so pregnant women with pregnancy noses can feel distressed or undesirable,” she says.
“I hope that we can rethink this and understand that we don’t have to conform to outdated ideals of beauty,” Lincoln added, “especially when we’re raising human beings.”
