What is the ruling on intermittent bleeding after postpartum confinement (nifas), and are prayer and its making up obligatory during the periods of cessation?

When a woman sees purity by one of its two signs, she must perform ghusl and pray. If the blood returns within the forty days, she is considered a nifas (postnatal bleeding) woman again. The duration of purity interspersed [between bleeding] is considered a valid purity, during which prayer and all other acts of worship are obligatory. The days during which blood appears within this period are counted as nifas, and the days during which purity appears are considered valid purity, and she must make up her prayers if they were not performed. If the blood returns after purity within the forty days, she is considered a nifas woman again. If it exceeds forty days, it is considered istihadah (irregular bleeding) unless it coincides with her usual menstrual period.