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Nursing influencer Hailey Okula’s husband Matt Okula offered insight into her devastating final moments following her death just minutes after giving birth to the couple’s first baby.
Nursing Influencer Hailey Okula Dies From Childbirth Complications After Yearslong IVF Journey
Hailey Okula’s widower is reflecting on her tragic death.
Moments after the nursing influencer gave birth to son Crew March 29, her husband Matt Okula was faced with an unfathomable choice as the 33-year-old took a turn for the worse.
“The doctor comes in and lets me know that they’re doing CPR on her,” he told FOX11 in an interview aired April 2. “I’m making the decision: am I going to the ICU with my wife or am I staying with my newborn little baby? Not the decision I thought I would be making.”
Minutes later, Matt said Hailey—known as @rnnewgrads online—died after going into cardiac arrest caused by amniotic fluid embolism, described by the Cleveland Clinic as a rare complication that occurs when fluid enters the mother’s bloodstream.
Noting that Hailey “gave her life in the most noble way,” Matt—a firefighter who helped battle the devastating Los Angeles fires in January—confirmed that she did get to meet her baby before she passed.
“She was able to see him for a split second,” he said tearfully, “and I’m always gonna remember that.”
Hailey Okula/Instagram
Prior to Hailey’s death, the couple spent years trying to become parents and finally conceived successfully via in-vitro fertilization last year. While Matt admitted he “broke down” over the physical toll their IVF journey would take on his wife, he recalled how she kept a positive outlook about the process.
“She held my face, looked into my eyes, and said, ‘We are a team, and we’ll get through this together,’” he wrote in an Instagram post April 1. “That was Hailey. A fighter. A teammate. A woman who would do anything for the people she loved.”
Which is why Matt said he was certain his late wife “would have been the most amazing mom” to Crew.
“Her spirit, courage and love will live on in our son,” he continued, “and through everyone whose lives she touched.”
Keep scrolling for a closer look at Hailey and Matt’s journey…
Hailey Okula/Instagram
A Tropical Vacation
Hailey Okula and Matt Okula took their first trip to Tahiti together, and Hailey shared a highlight reel of their vacation, writing in a 2022 Instagram post, "A mini video of our first island in the French Polynesia."
Hailey Okula/Instagram
Influencer Couple
Matt made a rare cameo in one of Hailey's @rnnewgrads videos, where she showed off stylish scrubs.
Hailey Okula/Instagram
IVF Success
In September 2024, Hailey shared the exciting news that she and Matt were expecting after two years of IVF. As she wrote on Instagram, "the journey has been hard, but so worth it."
Hailey Okula/Instagram
Pregnancy Journey
Hailey added in her September 2024 post, "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."
Hailey Okula/Instagram
Baby Shower
Matt and Hailey celebrated their baby boy, Crew, with their family at a February baby shower. Hailey wrote in a post to Instagram, "Couldn’t have asked for a more perfect woodlands themed baby shower for our lil guy!"
Hailey Okula/Instagram
Saying Goodbye
In April 2025, Matt shared that Hailey had died just minutes after welcoming Crew via c-section.
"Words cannot convey the depth of the loss I feel," he wrote in a post to Hailey's nursing account. "Hailey was more than I could have ever dreamed of in a wife and partner.”
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