“There’s no way that’s the same person,” wrote one user after seeing thedrastic transformationthatBotle, a South African woman, underwent upon entering thethird trimesterof herpregnancy.
HighlightsSouth African woman Botle went viral on TikTok for dramatic third-trimester pregnancy transformation.Botle’s transformation included an enlarged nose, acne, dark spots, and puffy eyes, shocking netizens.Pregnancy hormones can cause changes like vessel dilation and increased blood flow, affecting mucous membranes.TikTok trend #pregnancynose features many mothers documenting their own drastic pregnancy transformations.
The woman, who has been documenting her progress on TikTok, went viral after uploading a shocking before-and-after, where she went from having a fairly aesthetic face to sporting a massively enlarged nose, acne, dark spots, and puffy eyes.
“I’m just entering my third trimester as well, I’m so scared now,” a fellow mother wrote.
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A South African woman stunned her followers after uploading dramatic before-and-after pregnancy transformation that left her unrecognizable
Image credits:botlenyanam
Botle startedher journeyfully confident that she would maintain her looks throughout the pregnancy. She vowed to be a glowing, stylishmom-to-be, but as the months went on, her appearance transformed in ways she hadn’t anticipated.
“The underlying reason is because of the hormones that are increased inpregnancyand those hormones cause dilation in vessels, which can result in more blood flow going to certain areas — and that’s because we need it for the uterus,” Dr. Christine Greves, OB-GYN in Orlando, Florida explained in an interview withToday.
“It’s not necessarily selective. So, some areas of our body that have mucous membranes do experience increased flow and your nose is one of them.”
Aside from her nose, Botle’s face experienced swelling in other areas, such as the sinuses, and a change in pigmentation on her neck. Thankfully, most of these changes are temporary.
“It goes back to normal within six weeks of giving birth,” Greves said. “I tell people to give yourself grace and be patient.”
While a certain degree of inflammation is normal, doctors warn that excessive amounts might be a sign of preeclampsia, a condition that can lead to a premature birth
Botle updated her followers this Thursday (September 19), telling them that she’s expecting to give birth in two-weeks time.
The clip sees the mother happily dancing with her belly out, showing a darkened line going down the middle of her abdomen.
“Other commonvisual changesthat may manifest in the skin of a pregnant person include hyperpigmentation (darker skin in different areas of the body including face), stretch marks in the skin and the growth of skin tags,” the doctor said.
Greves warned, however, that if the swelling experienced goes beyond what’s normal or is causing significantdiscomfort, it might signal that the mother is suffering from a serious blood pressure condition called preeclampsia, which develops only after the 20th week of pregnancy.
“Patients that have significant swelling and experience symptoms, such as headache, blurry vision, abdominal pain or nausea/vomiting should contact their provider immediately to be evaluated for preeclampsia,” she explained.
While most babies survive preeclampsia, it can cause preterm delivery and, in the worst cases, stillbirth and death.
Mothers on TikTok have turned their swelling into a trend under #pregnancynose with many going viral for documenting their own transformations
Botle’s video is only the latest in a TikTok trend under the hashtag “pregnancy nose.”
A quick search using the term returns more than 2,600 posts of before-and-after videos of mothers documenting the changes to their appearance they experienced during theirpregnancies.
“This is how my second pregnancyhumbled me,” one video is captioned.
“I startedtaping my nosebecause I don’t want the pregnancy nose!” another is titled.
Most of these TikTokers also show their appearance months aftergiving birth, with the grand majority going back to their pre-pregnancy appearance seamlessly, showcasing the strength of the female anatomy.
“Take him to court!” joked one viewer.
“You remind me of the teletubbies,” said another.
“You’re right, I also look like Fiona from Shrek now,” Botle replied.
“There’s no way that’s you sister,” a fan wrote.
“The worst part for me is that some of the changes never go back to normal after birth. My feet grew, all my shoes don’t fit anymore,” one follower shared.
“With my first I went back but this time I don’t know,” Botle wrote.
“Pregnancy will humble you,” wrote one user, as others joined in to support Botle and laugh alongside her
Karina Babenok
Renan Duarte
Lei RV
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