Hailey Okula, an influencer known as Nurse Hailey on social media, has died shortly after giving birth to her son, Crew.
The influencer’s husband, Matthew Okula, shared the news on her Instagram and TikTok on Tuesday, revealing she died due to “complications from childbirth.”
Hailey went into cardiac arrest minutes after giving birth via cesarean section to Crew, Fox 11 Los Angeles reported. During an interview with the publication, Matthew said Hailey went into cardiac arrest after suffering an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE), a rare complication during childbirth.
“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,” Matthew wrote in the caption of his Instagram post, alongside a video series of him and Hailey. “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.”
Matthew acknowledged how badly he and his wife “wanted to be parents” following “years of infertility struggles and a long, challenging IVF process,” which Hailey spoke openly about on her social media.
He applauded Hailey for her courage and grace throughout “every hurdle” she faced, especially during the IVF process.
“I will never forget the moment I broke down, apologizing for the toll the process would take on her. She held my face, looked into my eyes, and said, ‘We are a team, and we’ll get through this together.’ That was Hailey,” he continued. “A woman who would do anything for the people she loved.”
Matthew, an engineer for the Los Angeles Fire Department, also celebrated Hailey’s career accomplishments as an ER Nurse. In 2019, she created RN New Grads, which aims to help newly graduated nurses launch their careers.
“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,” Matthew added. “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.”
The LAFD was among those paying tribute to Hailey on Instagram, writing alongside a wedding photo of the couple, “On March 29, 2025, during the delivery of their child, Mrs. Hailey Okula, wife of LAFD Engineer Matthew Okula, tragically passed away,” adding that they were grateful for those “working to support Engineer Okula and his newborn, Crew, during this unimaginably difficult time.”
Matthew told Fox 11 LA in a clip shared by the LAFD, “She wanted to be mom so incredibly bad,” while holding their newborn son on his lap.
Speaking to Fox 11 LA, Matthew opened up about his wife’s rare complication after giving birth. “There’s no treatment. There’s no way of diagnosis it,” he said about his wife’s cause of death, an amniotic fluid embolism. “It’s just so sad to think that other people have to go through what I’m going through right now.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, an amniotic fluid embolism is “a dangerous and life-threatening complication that occurs during delivery or shortly after giving birth.” The condition is difficult to diagnose because “the symptoms can be similar to other serious complications during childbirth.”
A GoFundMe has been set up for Matthew to help him “navigate life as a single father while grieving the love of his life.”
Donations will go towards funeral and memorial expenses for Hailey, household bills and utilities, future baby supplies and childcare for Crew, and Matthew’s time off from work so he can be with his son. At the time of writing, the fundraiser has raised $251,936, surpassing its $250,000 goal.
“This isn’t about charity—it’s about duty, about standing by one of our own when he needs us the most. As firefighters, we never leave a brother behind. As a community, we step up when our family is hurting,” the GoFundMe reads. “Every dollar raised will give Matt the space he needs to begin the long road to healing and ensure that Crew is surrounded by the love and security Hailey dreamed of for him.”
After starting RN New Grads, Hailey became a beloved face in the online nursing community. She had more than 420,000 followers on Instagram, where she posted videos about being an ER Nurse and shared her candid advice about entering this field.
She was also open about the challenges she faced with IVF and infertility. When announcing her pregnancy in September, she called it an “indescribable” feeling, after “dealing with infertility” for nearly two years.
“Without going too much into detail about my journey from my infertility problems, to my husband‘s infertility problems, to us having to create a special probe because we both carry the same genetic disease, lotsssss of meds and lots of money, the journey has been hard, but so worth it,” she wrote on Instagram, alongside a video with moments from her IVF process.
“I realize this is not always the outcome for people that have to go through IVF so I am so grateful and blessed that our first transfer stuck.”
#Nursing #influencer #Hailey #Okula #dies #childbirth #suffering #amniotic #fluid #embolism
