What's the significance of the 56th postpartum day?

[AlaaJ]

I'm at day 58 pp and had a bit of bleeding last night (dark red). I thought it was my period but now it's just spotting with blood tinged mucus (sorry; way too much info).

In TCOYF, she says that any vaginal bleeding *after* the 56th pp day should be considered a sign of resumed ovulation.

Since I'm past week 8/day 56 (and what's so special about this day specifically, anyway?), do I just go ahead and consider it a (very, very light) period? Left over lochia? Something else? (If so, what???)

FWIW, at my 6 wk pp check up after my first birth, I asked my doctor about some bleeding that I just had that morning. She checked and told me it was not lochia-- it was menstrual blood. Sure enough, it continued with the classical signs of my previous pre-pregnancy periods. I have always, with all my kids, bfed, coslept, had the babe stuck to me all day, and all that good stuff.

[GoBecGo]

I had periods from 6 weeks PP with my EBF co-sleeping no-paci #1.  And got 5 months off with my all-the-same #2.  Luck of the draw for some i'm afraid.

[Jaimee]

I *think* the idea behind this is that it's really hard to tell the difference between pp bleeding and ppAF prior to 8 weeks pp.  I know for myself that I don't stop bleeding for 5-6 weeks.  So I always imagined that I wouldn't  possibly be ovulating for another two weeks and not possibly having an AF until 4 weeks beyond my pp bleeding.  But everyone is different and some women stop bleeding much earlier and therefore could possibly have AF 4ish weeks after that.

[JMJ]

It's just that the studies that have been done on NFP have shown that in addition to lochia, some women experience a hormonal bleeding because of changing hormones postpartum.  Research shows that bleeding within the first 56 days if exclusively breastfeeding day and night is very likely to be this hormonal bleeding and is unlikely to be related to the return of fertility.  Pregnancy in the first 56 days postpartum is so unlikely for an EBF mom that research shows that you can ignore any bleeding during that time.

After day 56, DON'T IGNORE ANY BLEEDING.  You are not considered to be in amenorrhea if you have any bleeding after 56 days postpartum.  It is very likely to be a sign that your body is trying to become fertile again.  Chart carefully for at least 6 weeks.  Consider yourself to be potentially fertile on any day that you experience any bleeding or CM and until the evening of the 4th day after.  If you have no bleeding or signs of ovulation (such as more-fertile type mucus or thermal shift) for six weeks, you may consider yourself to be still in amenorrhea.

I had one day of red spotting when my baby was 4 months old.  I was dry every day before and I was dry every day after.  By 6 weeks later, I had not experienced any hint of CM.  I went on to have 17 more months before my first real PPAF (preceded by a day of spotting 37 days earlier, about 4 weeks before ovulation).  Other people start cycling very early despite doing many of the things with breastfeeding that are likely to delay the return of fertility.  Early PP charts can look kinda wonky.  Please post for help if you need it or feel free to PM me personally.  I may soon not be hanging out in the CTA threads as much.