Life as A New Mom: Sick Days Suck

I feel fairly confident in my mothering skills most of the time. I think I have things under control, and then: ATTACK OF THE SICK KID. Is there anything more difficult than those sick days? How do you handle things when your little one is under the weather? 

Dolly came home early from daycare last Wednesday with a runny nose and a slight fever; I assumed it was due to her incoming molars, but by Thursday morning she was much worse: Fever of 102 and looking absolutely pitiful. (I mean, just look at that picture above.) We kept her home and gave her Tylenol around the clock to see if she'd feel better the next day (as per doctor's orders). Her condition had not improved Friday, so off to the pediatrician we went.

Diagnosis: cold, ear infection, pink eye (in both eyes). She started oral antibiotics, and I was given special drops for the pink eye. The antibiotic--NBD--they can flavor that mess so it tastes like candy, and I have no issues getting her to take her medicine. The drops, however--OH GOOD GOD.

She HATES those eye drops. I imagine they have to sting, and it probably feels super weird having someone drop anything into your eye. I felt terrible having to administer them; I knew doing so is vital to her recovery, but JESUS, TAKE THE WHEEL do I hate myself for doing it. She would scream and cry and scrunch up her precious face--I literally had to hold her down and pry her eyelids open to get the medicine in them. I felt like I was hurting her and causing her pain.

Seeing my daughter in that much distress was more than I could handle. I feel like The Worst Mother Of All Time giving her those eye drops. I feel like a terrible mother every time she gets sick. She's 21 months-old, so we're already at the dreaded Terrible Twos. Everything is a fight, and the fights get worse when she's sick. I know her tantrums are the result of her feeling so awful, and that makes me feel... awful.

We're fortunate that this latest sickness was just typical kid stuff. My heart breaks for parents whose children are battling serious illness or injury. I don't know how they do it. I don't know how they're that strong.

When my daughter is sick, all I know to do is love her and take care of her the best I can. I make sure she's drinking plenty of fluids and taking her meds, and I let her fall asleep on my chest after watching four times her daily TV allowance. I sing to her; I comfort her; I do the best I can--but for some reason, I feel like my best isn't good enough.

Do all new parents feel this way? How do you cope when your little ones are sick? I need all the advice I can get here, so don't be shy--sound off in the comments.