Mum's 20 week scan warning after condition that made baby's heart stop found

Loren Bowcock was in McDonald’s when she got the phone call. Her baby was seriously unwell and she needed to get to hospital as soon as possible.

The 29-year-old dropped everything and made her way to the intensive care unit. Once there, she watched on helplessly as doctors crowded around her daughter's tiny body.

Loren, who lives in the Heaton area of Bolton, had just been taken into a private family room when she heard an emergency buzzer go off – describing it as one of the worst sounds she’s ever heard.

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Her five-month-old daughter Matilda had gone into cardiac arrest. In total, her heart stopped for a whole seven minutes.

Miraculously, Matilda pulled through and is now stable after spending some time in critical care at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

But mum-of-three Loren will never forget the moment she thought she’d lose her baby girl – saying she still lives in fear the tot’s body will give up on her.

“I thought I was going to lose her,” Loren, who also has children Harley, 11, and Mya, seven, said.

“I just couldn’t even think straight. You just can’t - it’s so hard to take in that information. There are no words.”

"When [the hospital] rings you to tell you something, you know they don’t ring you if she’s alright.

“I knew how poorly she was. I rang my mum and dad and they came from Bolton to be with me. The consultant said her heart stopped beating for seven minutes.”

Everything appeared fine with Loren’s pregnancy until she went for her 20-week scan. A sonographer was scanning Matilda’s heart when she noticed some of her arteries were crossed over.

Loren pushed to see a consultant and unborn Matilda was diagnosed with