Nursing influencer Hailey Okula saw newborn baby boy for ‘split second’ before going into cardiac arrest
The husband of a popular nursing influencer who died during childbirth says he is comforted by the memory of his wife getting to see their miracle son before she died.
Hailey Okula, who was known for inspiring and guiding new nurses through her popular social media platforms, went into cardiac arrest after suffering an amniotic fluid embolism just minutes after her first child was born.
Now, in an emotional update, her heartbroken husband Matthew Okula revealed that his wife, whose lifelong dream was to become a parent, was able to see their baby for a split second before she passed away – a memory he will always cherish.
‘She was able to see him for a split second, and I’m always going to remember that,’ Matthew told Fox11. ‘[Her death] just came upon me so quickly and unexpectedly.’
Hailey, who was 33, gave birth to the pair’s first child, a boy named Crew, on Saturday, March 29.
But within minutes of welcoming their baby boy, she faced the devastating medical complication post-delivery.
‘We both looked at him and [it was] just Hailey’s personality. She said a little something because she saw how big he was,’ Matthew said recalling the moments before Hailey’s passing. ‘We had a quick little laugh there, she had a little tear on her face.’
The grieving husband said he took his newborn out of the delivery room for ‘literally a minute’ when Hailey’s health took an unexpected turn.
‘Me and Crew walked out of the room and they said they were finishing up, she’ll be there in a moment,’ he said. ‘Literally a minute later, the doctor came in and let me know they’re doing CPR on her.’
Matthew was then faced with an impossible decision: Stay with his wife in ICU or his newborn baby?
In an emotional update, the late Hailey Okula’s husband, Matthew Okula, said that his wife was able to see their newborn baby boy for a split second before she went into cardiac arrest
The grieving husband said he took his newborn out of the delivery room for ‘literally a minute’ when Hailey’s health took an unexpected turn
‘I’m making the decision, “Am I going to the ICU with my wife or am I staying with my newborn baby?” Not the decision we thought I’d be making,’ he recalled.
Matthew said he will always remember Hailey as he now raises Crew as a single parent.
‘She wanted to be a mom, so incredibly bad. She never put it on me, and the reality is it’s my fertility issues,’ Matthew said on Wednesday. ‘We found out [at the time and] she grabbed me and said, “We’re a team. We’re getting through this together.”
‘I know she would be up there telling me that “You got it, raise this kid, don’t baby him too much, make sure you do everything we talked about doing,”‘ he said through tears. ‘She gave her life in the most noble way.’
In 2019, Hailey founded her social media-based company, RN New Grads, to support newly graduated nurses, providing information about finding work and launching into a nursing career.
Her RN New Grads Instagram account shared vulnerable content as she opened up about her embattled pregnancy journey and the challenges she and her husband faced with infertility and IVF.
‘Being able to say that we are pregnant is indescribable,’ she wrote in a September 2024 pregnancy announcement.
‘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.’
In announcing her death, Matthew reflected on Hailey’s strength throughout their journey to parenthood.
‘Words can’t describe how badly we wanted to be parents,’ he wrote.
The popular nurse spent the last year sharing her tumultuous journey with infertility and the demands of her job with her 418,000 followers on social media, before her husband shared the gut-wrenching announcement of her passing
In 2019, Hailey founded her social media-based company, RN New Grads, to support newly graduated nurses, providing information about finding work and launching into a nursing career
‘After years of infertility struggles and a long, challenging IVF process, we were overjoyed to be expecting Crew. Hailey faced every hurdle with so much courage and love – even though her body went through so much, she never wavered.’
Many of Hailey’s followers have responded to the news of her sudden passing with messages of heartfelt support and anecdotes of how she had touched their lives.
‘She was my nurse during one of my toughest hospitalizations,’ one user wrote. ‘I’ll never forget her kindness and quick help.’
‘I am truly shocked and heartbroken for your entire family. There are no words,’ one commenter wrote. ‘Hailey as such a light in this nursing community. She and I messaged back and forth throughout our pregnancies, and I am devastated to hear this news.’
‘I can’t believe this! She was soooo excited about becoming a new mom,’ another commented. ‘She even replied to my comment, saying thank you when I told her she was the best content producer for her ER skits…I WILL MISS HER!!!’
The Los Angeles Fire Department, where Matthew works as an engineer, also posted an emotional tribute to his late-wife, saying it ‘grieves the loss of Mrs. Okula.’
Matthew said he is going ‘to do everything’ he can to keep her business alive, but asked for patience as he ‘grieves and recovers.’
‘If there are any disputes or questions, I ask for your patience while I grieve and recover – I promise I will work to resolve everything in time. Hailey refused to hire anyone to run her business, partly because we’re so cheap (lol), but more so because she was beyond passionate about her content. I’m going to do everything I can to figure out how to continue this business in her honor.’
The pair’s life-long dream of becoming parents was finally realized with the arrival of their son, Crew, on March 29, however, things quickly took a turn for the worse when Hailey suffered an amniotic embolism during her C-section delivery
A friend of the Okula’s, Jason Teter, has since created a GoFundMe page to help support the new dad face the challenges ahead.
‘Matt is not one to ask for help – but those who know him, especially his brothers and sisters in the fire service, know the kind of man he is. A man who has dedicated his life to protecting others. Now, it’s our turn to protect him,’ the description explains.
Dedicated to supporting funeral and memorial expenses, household bills and utilities, future baby supplies and childcare, the fundraising effort has raised $327,000 as of Wednesday evening.
‘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.’
