Pregnant mothers in Rotorua are leaving it late to find maternity care - with only 45 per cent of expectant mothers registered with a lead maternity carer in their second trimester.
Rotorua women are lagging behind the rest of the country in getting enrolled with midwives and the Lakes District Health Board is now looking at ways to encourage them to seek medical care earlier - including by offering them pamper packs.
The health board wouldn't elaborate further on the proposed pamper packs other than to say in the past they've provided pregnant women and new mothers with several different resource packs including products ranging from hand creams to lip balms.
Lakes District Health Board service manager for woman child and family, Donna Mayes, said the reasons around women not registering were complex and included women ignoring or not knowing they were pregnant as well as wanting to "stay below the radar" for social reasons until they absolutely had to organise the birth.
Ms Mayes said they would prefer women registered in the first trimester so they could receive the appropriate early pregnancy screening.