maternity pay and being off work question

[miaboo]

I'm 25 weeks today and will be going on maternity leave at 29 weeks, I cant remember if I read somewhere that If I am off in the 4 weeks before I go this could affect my payments, It's not the if your off sick in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy one it was a different one on how they calculate my earnings?.
I do earn more than the £107 per week (£152 per week) but If I'm off from now will this mess it up, I'm asking as one of my little boys is poorly and it looks like I may have to be of with him and I dont get paid anything if I'm off.
Hope this makes sense!?!

The amount they give you for the first 6 weeks (90% of your normal pay) is calculated as an average of your weekly pay over a period of at least eight weeks up to and including the last payday before the end of your qualifying week - which is the 15th week before the week before your baby is due i.e. 25 weeks = this week. So, it shouldn't affect things as far as pay goes, but your employers do have the right to make you start your Mat Leave early if you are off work immediately before your planned date of starting Mat Leave, so this may mean that you have to return to work earlier than you wanted to in a year's time.

They can only make you start you maternity leave if you are off sick with a pregnancy related sickness/absence in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy i.e. 36 weeks plus. So no being off now does not mean they can insist you start mat leave.