Pregnancy is a beautiful and precious gift of God. It is a magical process, and you experience a lot of changes in your body. You get weird symptoms during pregnancy. Swelling in the nose, lips, etc are the most common pregnancy symptoms.
Not only your belly gets more prominent, but your other body parts will probably swell up too. Your feet, hands, and ankles are usually swollen during pregnancy, but swelling of the nose and lips are also quite common. Pregnancy swelling can happen at any time. It mainly occurs during the fifth month and gradually increases as you enter the third trimester.
Swelling in the nose during pregnancy is caused due to hormonal changes. Women’s bodies go through many changes during pregnancy that might be pleasant and unpleasant at the same time. Many estrogen and progesterone are released during pregnancy; they are the hormones that prepare for the baby. As the hormone levels are high, it leads to nose swell, facial swelling, and swelling of different body parts during pregnancy. The nose becomes broader and more significant. It causes difficulty in breathing which affects sleep. The stuffiness in the nose leads to watery drainage and nose bleeding too.
Myths Related to Nose Swelling During Pregnancy
An old and weird wives’ tale says that you will most likely have a baby boy when the nose grows more significant and broader.
Another weird old wives’ tale says that the bigger the nose gets during pregnancy, the healthier the baby will be or that you will have a baby girl. All these are just myths, but the main reason behind the nose swell is hormonal changes.
Some women reported that their noses swelled at the tip while pregnant with a baby girl.
The facts behind these old wives’ stories are due to blood vessels expanding during the first trimester. During pregnancy, the blood flows stronger, causing the nose to grow bigger. Since the nose is made of softer bones, its shape quickly changes as the muscles underneath are shifting and growing.
The Reason Behind the Nose Swell During Pregnancy
Nose swelling is a common symptom during pregnancy. Depending on which trimester you are in is the cause of the nose swell in pregnancy. Read on to know how it happens so that you can take good care of those problems. Here are some causes of the nose swelling during pregnancy.
- During the early stage or the first trimester of pregnancy, the blood vessels expand or get bigger to send more blood to your growing fetus. It provides the nutrition and oxygen needed from the mother. These blood vessels expand not only in the uterus but on the whole body. It also expands in your sinuses and nasal passages to cause swelling in the nose.
- At the end of the pregnancy or during the third trimester, your face is likely to deal with water retention. Water retention causes your nose to swell to an irritating extent.
- Another cause of nose swelling during pregnancy is high blood pressure levels.
- The hormonal changes in the female body are also one of the causes of swelling of the nose.
- During pregnancy, the female body experiences an increase in the level of hormones leading to nose swelling. An increase in the estrogen levels in the female body increases the blood flow to the body’s mucous membranes, which includes the lining of the nasal passages. The muscles and membranes are expanded, making the nose look more significant and broader.
Will your Swollen Nose go Back to its Normal Shape and Size?
Swelling of the nose is temporary during pregnancy. It gets back to an average level and your whole body, including the swelling of the nose. So, the good news is that your nose will go back to its standard shape and size.
After your baby is born, the size of your nose will return to its standard size within thirty to forty days or even a shorter amount of time. Hence, this change is temporary, so no need to worry about it.
How to Prevent Nose Swelling?
Swelling is a part of pregnancy and is normal. As the swelling of all body parts such as feet, hands, etc., nasal and facial swelling is an unusual pregnancy symptom. During pregnancy, all women experience nose swelling in different ways. Some swells are barely noticeable, while some are bigger and wilder hence, visibly noticeable. Given proper care, it reduces swelling.
Here are three ways you can manage and reduce nose swelling during pregnancy.
- One thing that can help to reduce nose swelling during pregnancy is to look at your water retention. Since the body has additional time to keep two lives sound and healthy, it keeps in a part of water, causing bloating. So try to intake a lot of water to reduce water retention. Water retention leads to nose swelling; hence try to drink a lot of water during pregnancy. The more water you intake, it helps flush out dirt present in the body, reducing the nose swelling.
- The next way to prevent the swelling of the nose during pregnancy is to keep an eye on your blood pressure. An increase in blood pressure can cause swelling and bloating during pregnancy, so watch out for the food and the physical activities you take. Try to eat foods with less salt, i.e., try to reduce the overall salt intake. Reducing salt intake helps to reduce water retention and higher blood pressure in your body. It helps in reducing swelling and bloating.
- Despite all the odd developments and the crazy sums of hormones your body has produced, your body will go how it was before pregnancy. You should give a proper amount of time and care. Consider taking suitable precautions as suggested by the doctor to prevent nose swelling. After pregnancy, if something doesn’t look or feel as it should be, then consult a doctor as it is crucial to take care of yourself at this stage. Make sure to manage some time to get yourself checked once you can.
Final Thought
Pregnancy brings weird and undesirable changes such as the nose and facial swelling, but these changes will subside post-childbirth. Pregnancy swelling is temporary so rejoice.
Changes within the body happen during pregnancy because of hormonal changes, so you don’t need to worry about it. It will get normal soon after the delivery. Pregnancy is a superb time, so appreciate and enjoy it. Eat healthily, and you may have a secure and sound pregnancy.
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