Unsure of wait before toilet paper

I am currently 7 weeks postpartum and am trying to get to the mikvah. Unfortunately, because it has been so long I have gotten out of the habit of being careful in the bathroom.

Yesterday I had a clean hefsek tahara, although I forgot to put in a moch. Today (Day 1) I had two clean bedikot. However, tonight I accidentally looked at the toilet paper after urinating, and there was a plug of brownish mucus on it with some red in it.

I am not sure if I waited 15 seconds before wiping, since I had been reading in the bathroom and it was also my second wipe. I tried recreating my actions while counting out loud, and it was at least 10 seconds since urinating before I wiped, but I cannot say with certainty that it was 15 (though it is likely).

Do I have to start over again, or can I apply the rules of stains and count tomorrow as Day 2?

Thank you.

Dear questioner,

Thank you for your question.

In the situation you describe, in which at least ten and probably more seconds passed, you may consider what you saw on toilet paper to be a stain.  As such, you may continue counting your clean days.

See our article on Toilet Paper for more details.

This internet service does not preclude, override or replace the psak of any rabbinical authority. It is the responsibility of the questioner to inform us of any previous consultation or ruling. As even slight variation in circumstances may have Halachic consequences, views expressed concerning one case may not be applied to other, seemingly similar cases.

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