Late nursing influencer Hailey Okula’s husband, Matthew Okula, is showing the raw and real side of his grieving journey five months after his wife’s death.
Matthew took to Instagram on Wednesday, August 27, to share clips recorded on the baby monitor in son Crew’s room. In one video, Matthew could be seen rocking Crew to sleep as he wiped tears from his eyes. Another clip showed Matthew reclining in the chair with Crew resting on his chest.
The emotional video, which was set to John Mayer’s song “You’re Gonna Live Forever in Me,” ended with a snap of a candle lit beside a photo of Hailey and a tribute reading “In Loving Memory of Hailey Marie Okula, 08/07/1991 – 03/29/2025.”
In the caption, Matthew wrote, “We’re coming up on 5 months without Hailey. I promised I’d be transparent and share the good and the bad, so here it is. Some nights I’m crying in the dark, wishing she could be here to hold him, to see him, to live the life she worked so hard for. It’s all so bittersweet. We miss and love you, Hailey.”
Hailey died suddenly at age 33 on March 29, shortly after Crew was born via C-section, due to childbirth complications, Matthew confirmed at the time. It was later revealed that she went into cardiac arrest following an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE), which occurs when “amniotic fluid, fetal cells, or debris enter the mother’s bloodstream during pregnancy, triggering a severe immune-like reaction,” Dr. Precious Barnes, DO, a family medicine physician specializing in women’s health and fertility, told Us Weekly exclusively via email. “This can lead to sudden heart and lung failure, uncontrolled bleeding and organ damage.”
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I share the devastating news of the unexpected passing of my beautiful wife, Hailey Marie Okula,” Matthew wrote via Instagram. “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.”
Hailey Okula, Matt Okula Matt Okula/Instagram
Hailey, who launched her RN New Grads program in 2019 and used her platform to support newly graduated nurses, was open about her struggles with infertility before she announced her pregnancy in September 2024.
“Hailey’s strength was unparalleled. Words can’t describe how badly we wanted to be parents. After years of infertility struggles and a long, challenging IVF process, we were overjoyed to be expecting Crew,” Matthew continued. “Hailey faced every hurdle with so much courage and love — even though her body went through so much, she never wavered.”
Nursing influencer Hailey Okula’s husband, Matthew Okula, promised to tell the couple’s son about his “amazing” mom following her recent death. Matthew, who confirmed via Instagram on Tuesday, April 1, that Hailey had died “due to complications from childbirth,” took to the social media platform on Tuesday, April 8, to pay tribute to his late […]
He concluded, “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. Though her time with us was tragically cut short, Hailey’s love for Crew was limitless, long before he entered this world. She would have been the most amazing mom. Her spirit, courage, and love will live on in our son, and through everyone whose lives she touched.”
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