How hospital staff supported the family
Howard and Morgan received help from a bereavement midwife named Lauren, who had experienced the death of her own baby. Howard said she later retrained as a midwife so she could support parents facing the same loss.
“Her care meant more to us than we can ever put into words,” he said.
After Felix died, staff placed him in a cooling cot, also known as a cuddle cot. The equipment slows physical changes after death, allowing parents to remain with their baby for longer and create memories during an otherwise brutally limited period.
NHS England guidance says parents should be offered a cooling cot when one is available and appropriate. Howard said it gave him and Morgan “precious hours with our beautiful boy”.
“Those hours are among the most precious memories we have of Felix,” he wrote.
Cooling cots, specialist bereavement rooms and trained staff can make a profound difference, but provision is not identical across hospitals. NHS and hospital reports show that some equipment and dedicated spaces have been supplied through charitable donations or family fundraising. Apparently, compassionate care still sometimes requires someone to organise a fundraiser first.
What The Felix Foundation will fund
The couple made a promise after Felix's death to help families confronting similar circumstances. The Felix Foundation will support improvements in hospital bereavement care, with proceeds directed towards:
- Professional bereavement training
- Specialist equipment
- Improved hospital spaces for grieving families
- Grants helping midwives pursue additional qualifications, including counselling training
Howard said the charity's name honours the son they miss “every single day”.
“We take some comfort in knowing that his name will stand for kindness, compassion and laughter, and that his legacy may help other families through the darkest moments of their lives,” he added.
The focus on specialist care addresses a need reflected in national figures. According to the Office for National Statistics, 1,758 babies in England and Wales died within 28 days of a live birth in 2024. These neonatal deaths represented 76 percent of all infant deaths that year.
The neonatal mortality rate stood at 3.0 deaths per 1,000 live births, unchanged from 2023. The stillbirth rate was 3.9 per 1,000 total births, while progress in reducing stillbirths in England has changed little since 2020.
Why access to bereavement care remains uneven
The national figures also conceal substantial inequality. The Office for National Statistics found that infant mortality in England's most deprived areas was more than twice the rate recorded in the least deprived areas. Black ethnicity and low birthweight were also associated with higher risk.
Those statistics concern clinical outcomes, but the support available after a baby's death can vary too. Cooling cots give families time that would otherwise be impossible, while private rooms and trained bereavement staff can offer dignity and continuity during a crisis. Whether those resources are readily available should not depend on a hospital's charitable budget, though in practice donations continue to play a role.
The foundation's planned annual grants are intended to expand specialist knowledge among midwives and improve the physical settings where families spend time with their babies. It is a practical mission shaped directly by the care Howard and Morgan received from Lauren and her colleagues.
Who is appearing at the charity gala
Howard will host The Felix Foundation Charity Stand-Up Gala at The O2 in London at 7pm on February 8, 2027. Booking is now open, and every announced performer is donating their time without charge.
The line-up includes:
- Michael McIntyre
- Jimmy Carr
- Aisling Bea
- Guz Khan
- Greg Davies
- Mo Gilligan
- Michelle Wolf
- John Bishop
- Russell Howard
Howard thanked his friends and colleagues for their “extraordinary generosity”, saying he would never forget their support.
“We would absolutely love it if you could join us for what promises to be a very special evening: a night of comedy, laughter and celebration, all in aid of a cause that means everything to our family,” he wrote.
The event will turn the comedians' donated performances into funding for staff training, equipment and better hospital environments. Howard said he hopes supporters will help make Felix's legacy “something truly special”.
Anyone affected by pregnancy or baby loss can contact Tommy's pregnancy and baby loss support service free by telephone on 0800 014 7800, Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.
