Inger Shah, a 38-year-old single parent, stood at the front of the terrace and was one of 96 fans fatally injured at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final.
While her son, Daniel, also attended the match, he stood with friends at the back of the Leppings Lane terrace.
Both Daniel and his sister Becky, 17, were taken into care after the tragedy.
The new inquests focused on the final moments of Mrs Shah and her friend Marian McCabe, 21, who also died in the crush. Both were members of the London branch of the Liverpool Supporters Club.
They travelled to Sheffield together on 15 April 1989 to watch their team play against Nottingham Forest.
Christina Lambert QC, who represents the coroner, said: "Following the crush, Daniel tried to find his mother. He was taken to a police station and was later taken to the gymnasium with [two of his friends] Philip Goodman and Stephen Oates.
"Daniel then picked his mother out from a Polaroid photograph and Stephen went to formally identify Daniel's mum."
Naomi Ditchfield, who was with Ms McCabe in the same pen at the 1988 semi-final - which featured the same teams playing at the same stadium - said in a statement: "The pen was so full that at one point during the game the gate burst open with the pressure of the crowd and Marian fell forwards through the gate and out on to the pitch."
She said Ms McCabe was then quickly ushered back into the pen by a police officer standing on the track perimeter and the gate closed.
A year later, she told her friend she wanted to move from the same area. "I said to Marian: 'I'm not standing here, do you remember what happened last year?'
"I said to her, 'I'm moving up here, are you coming with us?' Both Inger and Marian wanted to stay where they were."
By 14:50 BST in her new location, it was "uncomfortably full" in the pen.
Her statement said: "I saw a policeman stood in front of the pen and people were shouting to him that it was getting packed in there. We were asking him for help and he ignored us."
Another fan and a police officer described how Martin Malone, who was standing behind Ms McCabe, appeared to be trying to protect her from the crush by bracing his arms against the fence either side of her and pushing backwards. He eventually passed out.
Witnesses say both women were "lifeless" before police stopped the match at 15:06.
The inquests, sitting in Warrington, Cheshire, have been adjourned and will resume on Tuesday when evidence about Ms McCabe and Mrs Shah will conclude.
BBC News: Profiles of all those who died
A 13-year-old boy who lost his mother in the Hillsborough disaster had to identify her after her death by picking out her photograph, a jury has heard.