The Maternity Pay Period
2.—(1) Subject to paragraph (3), where a woman gives notice to her employer that she intends to stop work and does in fact stop work because of her pregnancy in a week which is later than the 12th week before the expected week of confinement, then the first week in the maternity pay period shall be the week following the week in which she stopped work, or the 6th week before the expected week of confinement, whichever is the earlier.
(2) The maternity pay period shall end not later than the end of the 11th week immediately following the expected week of confinement and subject thereto shall be for a period of 18 consecutive weeks.
(3) Where—
(a)a woman is confined before the 11th week before the expected week of confinement, or
(b)is confined after the 12th week but before the 6th week before the expected week of confinement and the confinement occurs in a week which precedes that mentioned in a notice given to her employer as being the week she intends to give up work,
the first week in the maternity pay period shall be the week after the week in which she is confined.