Nursing mothers should call for professional advice is these symptoms occur. They are usually due to poor positioning of the baby and improper latch-on. Engorgement is not only painful, it can prevent the baby from sucking properly. In addition it can signal to the body to decrease milk production. Treatment for engorgement includes use of cold packs to reduce swelling followed by breast pumping to remove milk.
Milk production can continue for as long as the baby nurses.
That's a personal and family health decision. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 1.5 million infant deaths could be avoided every year if all babies were breastfed.