Stopped BF 7 days ago and breasts still hard and painful - normal?

[AnneeMay]

Hi All
My LO is 8 mo old and I have stopped BF as am going back to work in 3 wks. Over 1 1/2 - 2 wks I stopped BF feed by feed and experienced no engorgement or pain. At the end I was only feeding first thing in the morning and then a small feed before morning nap. I stopped both of these feeds together 7 days ago. Ever since i have had very hard breasts, which were really painful for the first 2 - 3 days but are now just tender.
Is this normal? Will they hardness reduce? Do I need to pump?
Any advice would be most welcome.

It will ease in time but in the mean time just be gentle with your breasts and you can take painkillers - ibuprofen is considered the best as it's an anti-inflammatory but check to see if it's compatible with any other meds you take/your medical history before taking it.

If you are very full you can try having a warm shower and letting the water run over your chest for a while as that can sometimes trigger a let down to release a little milk with out you having to express (which might trigger more milk to be made). The less you touch your breasts the better as it can release more bfing hormones.

Wearing a supportive, well fitting bra can help too (perhaps a sports bra, or non-wired one) but nothing like a reducer bra that would bind your breasts too tight.

thanks TruthSweet for your advice. I also ended up checking with a BF helpline (as I am now at day 11, and still in as much pain, still v hard on one side and feeling v bruised) and they recommended ltd massage / expressing just to take off the worst of the engorgement, but otherwise to follow your advice. When I asked how long this would last, i was told 'how long is a piece of string?'. Lets hope this piece of string is coming to its end!
thanks again

Hope it works for you soon.