Stopping breast feeding/engorgement

[SophieRules]

I stopped breastfeeding a few days ago and pumped to relieve the pressure. I’m at the point now where they are very full but no so painful that I need to pump. Do I just leave them now and I presume they just slowly leak over time? Or do I to risk mastitis etc

If you’ve stopped gradually, you shouldn’t risk mastitis. The fullness will disappear within a few days but if it becomes too uncomfortable, the best thing to do is hand express just enough to relieve the discomfort - pumping will cause you to keep producing more.

When I stopped breastfeeding I gradually reduced the amount I expressed. The first few days I pumped each feed just a couple of oz. The next few days at each feed until they softened. Then I hand express only when they were feeling uncomfortable. After a week I didn't need it then a week after that I had one night of uncomfortable hard breasts I hand expressed for comfort and that was the last time I had any discomfort