When caring for lambs becomes almost like caring for a newborn.

In photos, lambs look like pure joy: soft wool, big eyes, children holding them in their arms. And they truly are a joy.

But behind some of these photos there is also a story that visitors usually do not see. A story about an alarm clock ringing in the middle of the night, about warm milk at three in the morning, and about three bottles that set the rhythm of the whole family for several weeks.

When a mother cannot manage alone

Jezersko-Solčava ewes are mostly excellent mothers. They accept their lambs, care for them, protect them and feed them without our help. Most of the time our job is simply to give them peace, shelter and good feed.

But sometimes things turn out differently. A ewe gives birth to more lambs than she can feed. There is not enough milk. A young ewe lambing for the first time does not take to motherhood straight away. Or a lamb is simply too weak to win its place at the udder in those first hours.

Then there are two options: to watch the lamb struggle on its own, or to take over part of the mother's role.

That is how three lambs came into our hands: Erika, Pikica and Špelca.

Every four hours

The first hours are the most important. A newborn lamb must get colostrum as soon as possible – the first milk, rich in antibodies, which protects it during its first weeks of life.

Then came a rhythm every parent of a baby knows. Feeding every four hours. Day and night.

Lamb milk replacer has to be mixed in the right ratio and warmed to body temperature – not too hot and not too cold. Bottles and teats must always be clean, because the young are very prone to digestive problems. Each lamb drinks in its own way: one greedily, one slowly, and the third sometimes needs a little encouragement.

And once feeding is over, there is still watching to do: are they full, are they lively, is the little belly soft, is anyone coughing?

Nights that were not ours

The alarm at one. At five. The next night, the same again.

In the middle of the night you pull on your boots and, with warm bottles in your hands, step out into the dark and into the barn. Three thin little voices call from the straw – they hear you before you even switch on the light.

It was not always easy. There were days when we were so tired we could barely keep up with everyday tasks. When commitments had to be moved and plans cancelled. When one of the lambs was drinking poorly and we wondered whether it would make it.

We could not have done it alone. The whole family helped with the feeding – the two of us and all three children. After all, we have jobs and school, so every day we had to work out again who would feed in the morning, who in the afternoon and who at night, so that the lambs were never left hungry.

Sometimes our neighbours stepped in to help, too. That was when we felt especially how much it matters to have people around you whom you can rely on.

The children proudly held the bottles and were delighted every time Erika, Pikica and Špelca drained them to the last drop.

Small steps towards independence

The lambs grew. The gaps between feeds got longer, and the night feeds came to an end. They started nibbling hay, drinking water and exploring the pasture.

We weaned them off milk gradually, over several weeks, so their digestion could keep up with the change.

Bottle-raised lambs often stay very attached to people. Long after they no longer need milk, they come running when they see you and call to you across the whole pasture. It is touching, but also a responsibility: they have to become part of the flock, not just part of the family.

Today Erika, Pikica and Špelca are part of our flock. And when we call them by name, they still remind us of those nights in the barn.

What lies behind the photo

When visitors see a photo of a child holding a lamb, they see a tender, beautiful moment. And that is exactly what it is.

But we see something else in it as well. Nights without sleep. Hands that smell of milk. The worry when one of them will not drink. And the relief when, in the morning, all three are on their feet and already waiting for you.

Caring for animals is not only the lovely side of farm life. It is a commitment that knows no weekends, holidays or hours of sleep.

And yet we would make the same choice all over again.

Behind beautiful photos of animals there is also tiredness, sacrifice and a great deal of love.

Romana and Matjaž