Nursing influencer Hailey Okula had been candid about her pregnancy journey before her sudden death in childbirth.
Hailey’s husband, Matthew Okula, confirmed in April 2025 that the registered nurse had died following “complications during childbirth.” Shortly before Hailey’s passing, she and Matthew welcomed their first baby, newborn son Crew.
“Hailey’s strength was unparalleled. Words can’t describe how badly we wanted to be parents,” Matthew wrote in a statement shared via a GoFundMe campaign launched in the family’s honor. “After years of infertility struggles and a long, challenging IVF process, we were overjoyed to be expecting Crew.”
He added, “Hailey faced every hurdle with so much courage and love — even though her body went through so much, she never wavered. 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. A fighter. A teammate. A woman who would do anything for the people she loved.”
Hailey had been open about her infertility experience and her pregnancy with Crew in the months before her death. Keep scrolling to revisit her candid remarks:
The IVF Journey
Hailey and Matthew began an IVF cycle in April 2024 after facing two years of “bad news” regarding their infertility struggles.
“It’s a weird thought giving yourself shots and I’m very lucky because I’m a little bitch with shots,” Hailey sarcastically said in an Instagram video. “So, naturally, I was ecstatic when I found out I had to give myself two shots every night. If you’re wondering why my husband wasn’t giving me the shots, it’s probably because I would inadvertently punch him.”
After 10 days of daily injections, Hailey had an egg retrieval.
Finally Pregnant
Hailey and Matthew announced that they were expecting a baby in September 2024.
“Wow, what a journey it has been. Dealing with infertility for almost two years and finally being able to say that we are pregnant is indescribable,” Hailey wrote via Instagram. “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 [sic] of meds and lots of money, the journey has been hard but so worth it.”
Hailey further noted that she is “so grateful and blessed” that her first IVF transfer was viable.
It has been a difficult road to parenthood for many celebrity parents, including Chrissy Teigen and John Legend. After in vitro fertilization didn’t work on the first try, Teigen wondered if she had done something wrong. “You just look for anything to blame, especially yourself,” Teigen explained to New York Magazine’s The Cut in April […]
Trying to Find Balance
Hailey Okula. Courtesy of Hailey Okula/Instagram
Hailey was planning to continue working as a nurse after giving birth.
“Cue my new mom era in 2025,” she wrote via Instagram in December 2024. “Please be patient with me while I figure out the balance of having a newborn, this business and being in the ER.”
Celebrating After ‘Roadblock After Roadblock’
Hailey and Matthew celebrated their baby shower in February 2025.
“If you’ve been following me for a bit, you know my husband and I ran into roadblock after roadblock with infertility troubles,” she captioned Instagram photos from the party. “[We] are so incredibly thankful that our first round of IVF was successful and we can’t believe he is gonna be here in less than 6 weeks wtf?!”
Her Daily Schedule on ‘Maternity Leave’
Hailey continued working as an emergency room nurse throughout her pregnancy. In a March 2025 social media video, she gave followers a glimpse at a day in her life while on “maternity leave.”
After waking up at 7 a.m. to care for dog Brodie, Hailey would spend the rest of her morning working on her “RN New Grads” online content. After taking care of Brodie in the afternoon, meal-prepping and nesting, Hailey would start her “bedtime routine” around 9:30 p.m.
