A California husband and father is speaking out and raising awareness about a serious pregnancy complication after his wife died after giving birth to their first child.
Matthew Okula, 34, told "Good Morning America" that his late wife Hailey Marie Okula, who was an emergency room nurse and a popular influencer behind the "RN New Grads" online platform for nurses, died on March 29 at the age of 33.
Okula, a firefighter for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said his wife's death occurred after about three days of laboring and after she underwent a Cesarean section at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California.
The couple's son, named Crew, was born healthy, weighing just over 9 pounds, Okula said.
While he was spending time at their newborn's side after his birth, Okula said he learned his "very healthy" wife's condition had deteriorated.
"A minute later, the doctor comes in briefly, tells me her oxygen levels has dropped. They're working on getting them up," he recalled. "I'm a fireman. I've been a medic for over 10 years and didn't really worry about it because she's in the hospital, very healthy."
Okula said doctors performed CPR on his wife and rushed her to the intensive care unit, where he said he was told she died of an amniotic fluid embolism, a pregnancy complication that ultimately prevented her brain from receiving enough oxygen.
When reached for comment by "GMA," a spokesperson for Orange Coast Medical Center declined to comment specifically on Hailey Okula's death, citing privacy.
"While privacy restrictions prevent us from commenting in this instance, we are aware of the story and join in the public outpouring of condolences and support for the family," the spokesperson said in a statement.
Matthew Okula said he is "destroyed" by his wife's unexpected and sudden death, but he is sharing her story publicly and widely to spread the word about amniotic fluid embolism, a complication he said he didn't know about.
According to StatPearls, an online library published in the National Library of Medicine, an amniotic fluid embolism happens when the fluid surrounding the baby gets into the mother’s bloodstream. This triggers a severe reaction in the mother's body that can cause blockages in the blood vessels, which can lead to the heart suddenly stopping, breathing problems, brain damage or kidney failure.
Symptoms of an amniotic fluid embolism include shortness of breath, a sudden drop in blood pressure, fluid in the lungs, an abnormal heart rate, bleeding from the uterus, C-section incision or an IV site, agitation, confusion or anxiety. The risk for an amniotic fluid embolism can also increase with labor induction or if a mother has a pre-existing cardiac disease or a cerebrovascular disorder.
Dad raises newborn daughter alone after mom dies due to pregnancy complicationsAccording to StatPearls, amniotic fluid embolisms are estimated to affect 2.2 to 7.7 of 100,000 deliveries, contributing to about 7.5% of maternal deaths in the United States.
Okula said he plans on telling his son Crew what an "amazing" person his mother was and the "massive" impact she had on the world.
Hailey Okula's "RN New Grads" Instagram boasted nearly 500,000 followers -- and in an April 2 post about her death, over 10,000 followers left messages of condolences.
"I just hope that something can come from this," Okula said.
"I think many pregnant moms don't know about it," he added. "It's such a fatal thing that could happen to anyone."
