Blood Work & Trypanophobia

I neglected to tell you that last Thursday I had all of my pregnancy bloodwork drawn. This is a huge deal for me because I am associative/resistive trypanophobic. Basically I am a needle phobe.
Anyway, it went better than any other experience I have ever had. Hands down by far. I know I was close to a panic attack, but for the first time I can remember I didn't actually have a full blown one.
For me, we figured out when I was still in therapy for it, it is often about control. Doctors and Nurses often tell you that they have to do something when in fact, they don't. They just really want to. So, now that I understand that, and can walk in and say to myself, "I am doing this for me, not for them," and tell them that they have 'just one chance to get the blood or we are done', it has become easier for me. I am now in control of the situation, not them. It is still not easy, I do have panic attack symptoms, but it is easier. (I can tell even now thinking and writing about this that my stress levels are elevated...)
So, anyway, back to last Thursday... We found the best stick in the office and bless her, I wish I could hire her out for all of my bloodwork! She was hands down exactly what I needed.
Moving on... Yesterday I got a call from Nancy, one of the Certified Nurse Midwives, and while my glucose levels were fine, my iron was not. Levels should be between 12 and 14 and I was a 10.9. The hematocrit was 32 and low is 34.
So, now I am dumping blackstrap molasses into my oatmeal and considering all sorts of other things as well. I went to the grocery last night and was reading labels even more closely than I normally do. And believe me, that makes for a long trip because I read the labels quite thoroughly and put most things back on the shelf where they belong, not in my body. It should be up in no time.