Baaa-rmy?!

I never thought there would come the day when I empathised with a sheep.

This either means I have finally completely lost the plot or motherhood really does open you eyes to a whole new array of emotions.

This all came about on a recent walk through the farmland at the back of my house with my daughter sat happily on daddy's back in her baby carrier.

This is the first time we have ventured through these fields since moving house and it was a real treat to immediately stumble upon a field full of mother sheep and their newborn lambs.

I felt a little uncertain whether we should be stumbling through this happy domestic scene but the footpath clearly stated this was the way we had to go, so over the stile we clambered.

The sheep watched us with their big round eyes as we trekked on through as gently as we could, their little lambs close to their legs for comfort.

All was well and good and on we went for the rest of our walk.

It was the journey back which proved the problem.

We came back through the field and we noticed to one side in a little enclosed pen a mother sheep had literally just given birth. Her woolly coat was still covered in birthing fluid and her little newborn lamb lay curled up in the tiniest of balls at her feet. It was a moving experience to see a lamb so newly entered into the world but also incredible to think that within the next few hours that lamb would be up on its feet and taking its first tentative steps – so different to human babies who take months to master even sitting up.

But while all three of us were so engrossed in this miracle of nature we had been unaware of another sheep close by to where we were stood with her little lamb.

I turned round to see her starring at us, her little hoofed feet banging the ground in warning.

“I think we should go “, I said to my husband. We climbed over the stile out of the field but still my husband lingered with my daughter to let her have a closer look at the lamb.

It was then it happened. An overwhelming wave of emotion passed over me as I looked into that mother sheep's eyes and I saw a look there which I believe can be spied in the eyes of all mothers across the animal kingdom - including humans - that look of fear and yet defiance which said I will do anything I have to to protect my baby from danger.

Her hooves were still thumping on the ground and I just wished I could somehow tell her that I understood and I too would make sure her child came to no harm.

Sheep are commonly considered rather stupid animals with very little brain but I will always look on them with slightly different eyes now. Who would have thought it.