When does the cardia close in babies?

When a baby is just born, many functions of the body are not yet complete. For example, the infant's head is not completely closed. As the baby grows slowly, these places will close. What many people don't know is that when the baby is just born, the cardia is not completely closed. This is also a factor that causes the baby to spit up. So how big does the baby have to be for the cardia to close completely?

When does the cardia close in babies?

Infants often spit up milk in the first few months after birth. Many new parents are often at a loss when faced with their baby spitting up, and some even think their child is sick. In fact, spitting up is a normal physiological phenomenon for babies. As long as it is not frequent spitting up, it is not a big problem. The main cause of spitting up is the relaxation and incomplete development of the baby's gastric cardia muscles. So when will the baby's gastric cardia grow well?

When will the baby's cardia grow well?

The human stomach has two doors, one is connected to the esophagus called the cardia, which is the entrance of the stomach, and the other is connected to the intestine called the pylorus, which is the exit of the stomach. The cardia of infants and young children is relatively loose and not tightly closed, so it is easily opened by food.

Generally, babies under 6 months old have incompletely developed cardia and will spit up milk. This will gradually get better after half a year. Spitting up milk is often caused by changing body position after feeding and does not affect growth and development. As the baby grows older, spitting up will no longer occur when his stomach digestive system is fully developed. It will disappear naturally around 6 months after birth and is a normal phenomenon.

How to prevent your baby from spitting up

First of all, you should adopt an appropriate breastfeeding posture. It is best to hold the baby in a sitting position for breastfeeding. The baby's body is tilted in the mother's arms, and the lower opening of the stomach has a certain inclination. The inhaled milk can partially flow into the small intestine due to gravity, thus partially emptying the stomach. Therefore, when the baby is fed while holding the baby, the chance of spitting up milk is lower than when the baby is fed while lying down.

Do not let your baby lie flat immediately after feeding. If he has to lie down, it is best to let him lie on his right side and raise his upper body higher so that food in his stomach will not flow out easily. After feeding, you can let the baby lie on your shoulder, then pat the baby's back with your hands for more than 5 minutes, until the baby burps, and then gently put the baby down. It can expel swallowed air from the stomach, thereby relieving stomach pressure.

When will the baby's cardia heal? Unlike adults, babies' stomachs are usually horizontal and have a relatively small stomach capacity. If they lie down while feeding a large amount of milk, the milk can easily rush through the cardia and return to the mouth, causing vomiting. As the child grows older, the cardia develops fully and this situation will be effectively alleviated after about half a year.