One of the important steps you can take as you prepare to get pregnant is to get up-to-date on your immunizations. However, some of them require that you wait after you get them before you get pregnant.

One shot women who want to get pregnant need is the TDaP, diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis. The reason is that we all need an updated tetanus every 10 years, but pertussis, or whooping cough, is making a comeback because adults are not getting a booster shot. We all got DTP as children, but it does not provide lifelong immunity. Today's shot with the acellular pertussis is much better tolerated. If you don't get it before you get pregnant, then you'll have to wait until you deliver, and most hospitals will offer it to you.

Measles, mumps and rubella are another combination shot we all got as children, also called the MMR. Rubella is also known as German measles, and it's not harmful or particularly serious to the normal person, but if a pregnant woman is exposed, it can cause birth defects. The MMR is supposed to give lifelong immunity, but there were some bad batches back in the 70s, and some people just don't get immunity from the regular series. So have your doctor check your blood for immunity, and if you are not immune, you'll probably need to get a booster. Then you should wait four weeks before trying to conceive.

If you are one of those rare people who made it to adulthood without getting chicken pox or the vaccination for it, you should get that before you get pregnant. It is a much more serious disease in adults than in children, and it can cause birth defects. Scarier still is the possibility that if a pregnant woman gets chicken pox a few days before delivery, the baby can catch it, and it can be fatal to the baby. Again, with this vaccination, wait four weeks after getting it before you try to conceive.

You can get the flu shot when you're pregnant, but if you're not yet pregnant and it's fall, go ahead and get it. Being pregnant knocks down your immunity anyway, which makes the flu a much more nasty proposition.

HPV is not advised during pregnancy. It's still too new to know if it's safe in pregnancy. If you're under age 26 and want to get this shot, do so before you try to conceive.

Get yourself healthy before you try to conceive and then you can enjoy a healthy pregnancy!