A mother gently placed the baby in her son's arms - what happened next sent shivers all over the internet

Children have so many dreams when they are young, and they are unaware of the limitations of life. Some want to be superheroes, others dancers, Power Rangers, famous athletes. Dreaming big dreams and believing you are invincible is part of being a kid.

For one boy in Massachusetts, named Mikey, all he wanted to be was a big brother. But it didn't come easy for his parents, and the difficult journey they went through to give birth to their second child had many ups and downs.

His mother, Jessica Marotta said that since Mikey started talking he's been asking for a baby brother - that's all he's been thinking about. When Mikey was 3, his parents started trying to get pregnant, but things just weren't going the way they wanted.

After going to a fertility specialist and undergoing surgery, on Mikey's 5th birthday, Jessica found out she was pregnant. He was of course very excited. But just one month later, Jessica began experiencing complications and lost the baby at 11 weeks.

"It took my breath away. Mikey got the baby brother he wanted, only now he was our angel baby", Jessica said.

Jessica and her husband decided they didn't want to go through another heartbreak like this. They were happy to remain a family of three.

A ray of hope

She added: "After that, every time Mikey asked for a baby brother, we explained to him that there was a chance he would never get one. It broke our hearts to say those words to him, but we found a way to settle into life just the three of us in our new home and enjoy the summer".

On Mikey's first day at kindergarten, Jessica started crying. She just felt something wasn't right.

"I knew something was wrong, but I didn't want to make a story out of it. I waited until the end of the week and asked my husband to buy a pregnancy test. I did the test myself. My husband didn't believe me and forced me to do two tests just to make sure. We were excited but careful".

Jessica was pregnant again!

The tests revealed that they were expecting a son. Again, they were excited to break the news to Mikey.

But their baby wasn't growing as fast as it was supposed to and doctors told them they should think about an abortion. But the family refused to give up their dream.

Jessica explained: "During the month leading up to the birth the baby scared us three times that it was going to arrive, but we made it to 30 weeks and 6 days. I had an ultrasound that day and the baby had only gained 2 grams in two weeks. The doctors told us, 'We're going to deliver this baby today', and explained that if we wait any longer we risk him being born lifeless".

The C-section very quickly turned into an emergency operation, when the baby's heart rate dropped due to the anesthesia. Fortunately, it didn't take long before baby Jake Eric was born weighing 800g and measuring 30cm long.

"After I recovered a bit, they took me with the bed to see him. I couldn't breathe and started crying when I saw how small he was. The night my husband's parents brought Mikey to see me we told him that he finally had a baby brother, Jake. The first time Mikey saw Him, he beamed happily and said, 'He has red hair like mine'".

When Jessica's husband had to go back to work and Mikey to school, Jessica stayed by her baby's side, unable to touch him unless she helped the nurses change his diaper and take his temperature. It was a testing time for the family, and it was a very scary time.

The thing that helped them get through this challenge was when they could cuddle with Jake, Jessica would sit in the chair and she and Jake would relax together.

It was also a wonderful time for Mikey, he could finally touch his little brother. He couldn't hold it yet, which bothered him a lot.

"All he wanted was to hold his little brother. Mikey was filled with sadness that he couldn't do that. During my daily routine with Jake's nurses and doctors, on day 10, I asked if Mikey could attach his skin to Jake's, Fully expecting them to say no. I was beyond excited when they agreed".

On March 17, 2018, Mikey became the first sibling to be allowed to sit skin to skin with his baby brother. Jessica described it as 'amazing and exciting'.

Baby Jake was able to go home after 62 days in the hospital and Mikey proved to be an amazing brother. Every morning, the siblings cuddle together in their parents' bed. Jessica said she feels honored to be a wintess to see their amazing love and relationship.

Mikey and Jake were definitely meant to be brothers. For a special boy like Mikey, Jake is lucky to have such love around him. Please share this story of hope and happiness with your friends and family.