Hailey Okula, known as ‘Nurse Hailey,’ was open about her infertility struggles, but announced last year she and her husband were going to have their first child.
WASHINGTON — Emergency room nurse and social media influencer Hailey Okula has died following “complications” after giving birth to her first child, her husband confirmed on her Instagram account.
Okula, known as “Nurse Hailey,” grew a fanbase for her videos and posts about the providers’ side of the ER, and answering questions from people preparing for a job in nursing.
She also spoke publicly about challenges with infertility, and the difficulties she and her husband Matthew, a Los Angeles firefighter, faced starting a family.
Last year, Okula announced she was pregnant with the couple’s first child, a son named Crew.
“It is with the heaviest of heart that I share the devastating news of the unexpected passing of my beautiful wife, Hailey Marie Okula, due to complications from childbirth,” Matthew wrote on her Instagram Wednesday. “Words cannot convey the depth of the loss I feel. Hailey was more than I could have ever dreamed of in a wife and partner. She was gorgeous, smart, hardworking, passionate, trustworthy, and above all else, unbelievably loyal. For nearly 13 years, she stood by my side in the hardest of times, loving me endlessly, even when I felt undeserving of that love. She was my everything.”
In an interview with Los Angeles TV station KTTV, Matthew Okula said his wife went into cardiac arrest just minutes after their son was born when she suffered an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE).
“She was able to see him for a split second and I’m always going to remember that,” he told the outlet.
In the post confirming her death, Matthew Okula included a montage video showing moments throughout Hailey’s pregnancy, including a photo of the newborn Crew.
In 2019, Okula launched her RN New Grads program to support nurses fresh out of school, which she said in her videos was a particularly tough time for those entering the medical field.
“Hailey poured her soul into her career as a nurse and her passion for teaching others through her business, RN New Grads,” her husband wrote on Instagram. “She was so proud of it and was dedicated to creating something meaningful, not just for herself, but for the nursing community she loved so much. She dreamed of helping new nurses thrive while also being present for our sweet Crew, building a life and legacy she was so proud of.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Hailey’s family.
