Nurse and influencer Hailey Marie Okula, known for sharing her IVF and pregnancy journey on social media, passed away after giving birth to her first child. In a post shared on Instagram on Apr. 1, her husband Matthew Okula said that she died due to ‘complications from childbirth’.
“It is with the heaviest of heart that I share the devastating news of the unexpected passing of my beautiful wife, Hailey Marie Okula, due to complications from childbirth,” the husband, also an LAFD firefighter said.
“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,” he added.
In a recent interview with Fox 11 Los Angeles, he revealed that Hailey suffered an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) after giving birth via cesarean section, leading to cardiac arrest. “There’s no treatment. There’s no way of diagnosing it. It’s just so sad to think that other people have to go through what I’m going through right now,” the single father told the broadcast.
It’s a devastating time for Hailey’s family. Hailey met Matthew while they were in college. “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,” he said in a post. The couple got married and were trying to start a family. After all the struggles and IVF treatments, when they finally had their dream life, fate took an unexpected turn. According to Hailey’s husband, she was able to see their child ‘for a split second’, before going into cardiac arrest.
Nurse Hailey, as she is known on social media to her over 448k followers on Instagram, has reignited the conversation about amniotic fluid embolism.
What is amniotic fluid embolism?
Amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) is a rare but severe complication of pregnancy. This life-threatening complication may occur in mothers when the amniotic fluid gets into their bloodstream. Amniotic fluid is the liquid that surrounds the fetus in the uterus during pregnancy. This could happen to pregnant women just before, during, or after delivering the child, and this period is known as peripartum.
Though rare, AFE is the second most common cause of peripartum maternal death and the primary cause of peripartum cardiac arrest in the United States. It affects 1 in every 40,000 deliveries in the United States. Some studies estimate that the incidence of AFE is more than three times higher in North America than in Europe.
The cause of AFE largely remains unknown, but it could also occur in healthy women during vaginal labour, cesarean section, or during the second trimester of pregnancy. It can also occur up to 48 hours post-delivery.
Some of the factors that increase the risk of AFE as per a 2022 study are:
Video
Early nonspecific signs:
(Pic courtesy: Instagram/ @rnnewgrads, iStock)
“It is with the heaviest of heart that I share the devastating news of the unexpected passing of my beautiful wife, Hailey Marie Okula, due to complications from childbirth,” the husband, also an LAFD firefighter said.
“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,” he added.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DH7AizRhk5e/ https://www.instagram.com/p/DH7AizRhk5e/
In a recent interview with Fox 11 Los Angeles, he revealed that Hailey suffered an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) after giving birth via cesarean section, leading to cardiac arrest. “There’s no treatment. There’s no way of diagnosing it. It’s just so sad to think that other people have to go through what I’m going through right now,” the single father told the broadcast.
It’s a devastating time for Hailey’s family. Hailey met Matthew while they were in college. “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,” he said in a post. The couple got married and were trying to start a family. After all the struggles and IVF treatments, when they finally had their dream life, fate took an unexpected turn. According to Hailey’s husband, she was able to see their child ‘for a split second’, before going into cardiac arrest.
Nurse Hailey, as she is known on social media to her over 448k followers on Instagram, has reignited the conversation about amniotic fluid embolism.
What is amniotic fluid embolism?
Amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) is a rare but severe complication of pregnancy. This life-threatening complication may occur in mothers when the amniotic fluid gets into their bloodstream. Amniotic fluid is the liquid that surrounds the fetus in the uterus during pregnancy. This could happen to pregnant women just before, during, or after delivering the child, and this period is known as peripartum.
Though rare, AFE is the second most common cause of peripartum maternal death and the primary cause of peripartum cardiac arrest in the United States. It affects 1 in every 40,000 deliveries in the United States. Some studies estimate that the incidence of AFE is more than three times higher in North America than in Europe.
The cause of AFE largely remains unknown, but it could also occur in healthy women during vaginal labour, cesarean section, or during the second trimester of pregnancy. It can also occur up to 48 hours post-delivery.
Some of the factors that increase the risk of AFE as per a 2022 study are:
- age
- high blood pressure
- Asian and Black race
- asthma
- using illegal drugs
- having more than five children
- placenta accreta spectrum (PAS)
- placental abruption
- uterine rupture
- polyhydramnios (having too much amniotic fluid)
- chorioamnionitis (bacterial infection during labor)
- preeclampsia
- fetal growth restriction
- stillbirth
- premature birth
- induced labor
- cesarean delivery
- manual removal of the baby
- The signs of AFE often develop suddenly according to the National Organization of Rare Disorders.
Video
Early nonspecific signs:
- Headaches
- Chest pain
- Cough
- Sweating
- Nausea and vomiting
- Difficulty breathing (dyspnea)
- Abnormally rapid breathing (tachypnea)
- Low blood pressure (hypotension)
- Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
- Bluish skin discoloration (cyanosis) due to low oxygen levels
- Oxygen deficiency in body tissues (hypoxia)
- High blood pressure in lung vessels (pulmonary hypertension)
- Sudden narrowing of blood vessels (vasospasm)
- Acute respiratory failure (fluid leakage in lungs, making breathing difficult)
- Irregular heart rhythm
- Low blood pressure
- Shock
- Sudden cardiac arrest (can cause gasping, no breathing, or unresponsiveness)
- Altered mental status (anxiety, confusion, seizures, coma)
(Pic courtesy: Instagram/ @rnnewgrads, iStock)
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