GER is very common, especially among prematurely born infants. Babies may feel this heartburn and become irritable and uncomfortable. Since mild forms of GER are common, require no treatment, and go away on their own over a period of months, it is first necessary to evaluate how severe the GER is and whether or not it requires treatment. These tests confirm that GER is occurring and look for stomach outlet obstruction or other contributing cause. Treatment of GER may include keeping the baby in the upright position,, thickening of the feedings, giving medication to reduce stomach acid, and sometimes giving medication to increase the ability of the stomach to contract.
Medical treatment is effective in most cases.
Since this is a problem that often improves on its own over time, surgery is reserved for the severe or unusual cases.