Helen Bennett’s loved ones were told to expect the worst after her heart rate dropped as low as 20bpm
16:51, 28 Jun 2026Updated 17:20, 28 Jun 2026
Helen Bennett and her daughter Cordelia were saved following an emergency C-section(Image: Bennett family)
A mum-to-be rushed to hospital on the day of her own baby shower was placed in an induced coma before an emergency C-section saved her daughter’s life. Helen Bennett, 29, was struggling to breathe in the days before her own baby shower in November last year but still felt she was being dramatic when calling 999 for help.
What followed was a terrifying ordeal for Helen and her 37-year-old husband James, which saw the mum – at 29 weeks’ pregnant – recover from pneumonia only to be returned to Arrowe Park Hospital following complications with an infection. She was placed in an induced coma after her heart rate dropped as low as 20bpm before doctors carried out an emergency operation saving both her and her newborn baby’s lives.
But the Bromborough couple were not out of the woods just yet, with their premature daughter Cordelia – named after the character from Buffy the Vampire Slayer – just the size of her palm. Helen is now sharing her story to let families who experience the same trauma she faced that there is help and support available and to not go at it alone.
Helen, who was 27 weeks’ pregnant at the time, said her baby shower was on Sunday, November 2 last year but she had been struggling with a bad chest for a number of days. She had gone to see her GP and been told it was just a cold and to take paracetamol and get some rest.
Helen Bennett and her daughter Cordelia were saved following an emergency C-section – pictured with husband James(Image: Bennett family)
Helen told the ECHO after her baby shower she went back home but was struggling to breathe so called 999. She added: “I was feeling dramatic and like I was overreacting. They put me in the back of the ambulance and gave me gas and air.
“Then I heard them turn on the sirens and I thought it was more serious than I thought. I went through A&E quickly and did all the tests and was told I had pneumonia. I know that is not good but I still thought it would be a few antibiotics and a couple of days’ rest.”
After being seen by specialists, Helen was told she had an issue with her kidneys and she was transferred to the renal ward. She was reassured that the baby was fine and spent eight days on the ward being sent home.
However, four days later she told her husband that she was going to bed because she did not feel well but struggled to climb the stairs because she was in so much pain. James asked her how the baby was, to which she replied: “I have not felt them move at all today.”
She was rushed back to hospital and went through maternity triage where the baby was checked over and determined to be okay. But Helen was told that she had an aspergillus infection and was immediately transferred to the high dependency unit.
She continued: “I can’t really remember much but I was telling them I just couldn’t breathe anymore. They gave me different oxygen masks but none of it was helping. That was the last thing I remembered.”
Cordelia Bennett was born at 29 weeks following an emergency C-section(Image: Bennett family)
Helen said the doctors made the decision to put her on a ventilator in an induced coma after her heart rate dropped to just 20bpm. The mum said her family were told to “prepare for the worst” and expect her death and the loss of the baby.
Helen came around temporarily, but with major concerns for the baby, who had stopped moving, the decision was made to perform an emergency caesarean operation, ultimately saving both of their lives.
Days later, Helen – in a wheelchair due to her operation, illness and complete exhaustion – was told she could meet her baby daughter for the first time. “She was the size of my hand,” the mum said. “I had never seen a child that small. She weighed 2lb 3oz and had been born after just 29 weeks.
“I can’t describe what it felt like meeting her for the first time. It was like finding something missing. She was so small but so perfect. I always wanted to be a mum. I loved her from the moment I found out I was pregnant. It is a different kind of love. I felt completed.”
While Helen recovered and Cordelia was looked after, James stayed in Arrowe Park’s Ronald McDonald House. And when Helen was fighting fit she too moved over so they could be with Cordelia as she navigated her first weeks.
Despite the challenges of her birth, Cordelia is a happy baby and has hit all of her key milestones. “I see her now and I can’t even comprehend that she was that little baby,” proud mum Helen said. She added that Cordelia is known by everyone in their family as the “miracle baby”.
Helen Bennett and her daughter Cordelia were saved following an emergency C-section – pictured with husband James(Image: Bennett family)
Helen is now raising money for Ronald McDonald House – who gave her and James so much support in their early days – by putting together care packages to ensure the new parents have “small comfort items designed to make long, exhausting days just a little bit easier”.
She told the ECHO: “On November 15 our little girl will turn one. Just two days later it is World Prematurity Day – a day that means so much to families like ours. To mark both of these moments, we would love to give something back.
“I can’t thank them enough for everything they did. Everyone was incredible. They are heroes. They provided the emotional support when we needed it the most. They gave us a sense of normality. I want to give something back.”
If you would like to donate to support Helen’s fundraiser please click HERE.