You may remember that I decided to switch ob-gyns because I didn't think the one I had was the best fit for me. Well, I did end up finding someone I like. She was recommended very highly and she takes my insurance, so I went in to meet her.

Since I'd had an exam and Pap smear the month before, I really just wanted to make sure I liked her, and ask a few questions. She turned out to be very nice. She wasn't intimidating or dismissive — she listened to me and answered me thoughtfully, and she seemed to be on top of the latest research from what I could tell from our brief conversation. So I feel comfortable with her.

<p>The practice (which consists of four female ob-gyns) seems great (happy pictures of babies they've delivered on the wall, etc.), and I feel as though I'll be in good hands. That's a big relief.</p>

While I was getting obgyn recommendations from friends, I decided to ask my primary care doctor to help me out on the vaccination front. I wanted to check my immunity to chicken pox (technically called varicella), and everything else I'm supposed to be vaccinated against. I also wanted to get the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine, which comes along with the tetanus vaccine — it's a combo vaccine that includes Tetanus, Diptheria, and Acellular Pertussis (it's called the Tdap vaccine).

Should have been simple. I mean, here I am, a health writer — someone who has been interviewing doctors for years about the particulars of women's and kids' health (and pregnancy) — so getting my own health in order before conception should have been easy as pie. But of course, nothing is ever that easy.

A little while ago I went to my obgyn for a preconception checkup. I wanted to let him know I went off the pill, and make sure everything was in working order, that I didn't have any diseases, and check that I was up to date on my vaccinations. Oh, and I wanted to get his recommendation on a daily multivitamin with enough folic acid.

Simple. In fact, this is what we recommend in Parenting magazine all the time (because experts have recommended it to us): Go to your doctor for a preconception checkup to make sure you're healthy before you start trying to get pregnant.

Apparently, some doctors haven't gotten this memo.