Alyssa Hodges must have a killer dating profile. The 20-year-old was pregnant when she put herself on the popular dating app Tinder, but that didn't deter one potential suitor. Max Silvy, 25, right-swiped her anyway, even though she was upfront about her pregnancy.
Still, he probably didn't imagine that within just a few dates, he'd be helping her through labor, but that's just what happened.
“I was about six-and-a-half-months pregnant when I went on Tinder, and I clearly stated that on my bio,” Alyssa — who is from Brisbane, Australia — told Kennedy News. “I didn’t want to lead anyone on, so I was being open and honest. I wanted them to know what they were getting into right off the bat.”
Max was unbothered by the pregnancy. “There was something that caught my eye about Alyssa," he said. "Normally I wouldn’t swipe right on a pregnant girl, but there was just something about her."
The two had gone on only three dates when Alyssa arranged to pick up Max from the airport. “On the day I went into labor, I was meant to be picking Max up from the airport as he was coming back from a work trip. That was the plan, but I ended up texting him saying, ‘I’m so sorry, you’ll have to get a taxi. I’m going into labor,’” she said.
“He hopped into a taxi when he got off the plane and came to the hospital and was there for me,” she said of the September 2021 delivery. “My mum was also there supporting me, but she had a holiday, so she was here and there. Max was there for me through the whole labor and birth.”
The labor was not short, either. Alyssa was sent home from the hospital, then returned later. The birth took several days from start to finish, but she said that her birthing partner stayed with her throughout the entire thing.
“We both knew that we liked each other and had strong feelings for each other. But the birth was the peaking point of our relationship, it bonded us,” the young mother said. “Motherhood is a big adjustment for anybody, especially with me being younger. But Max taking a week off from work really helped.”
Max says that he considers the baby, whose name is Ollie, to be his own child. “Anxiety was the biggest thing. There were so many unknowns, so many things that I didn’t know about becoming a dad,” he said. “There’s a lot of learning that comes with being a new dad, but me and Ollie are bonding quite well.”
People have been pretty blown away by the story, the new mom says. “On TikTok, everybody is asking if Max has a brother, calling him ‘man of the year’ and saying we were the cutest little family. It was a great reaction,” she said. Of course, she understands why it's so impressive. Max is truly a gem among men.
“These days, there are a lot of unfortunate stories about men who take off when the woman becomes pregnant,” she said. “Then here’s someone who comes in whilst you’re pregnant and is very actively involved in raising the child. It’s unheard of. I’m very lucky.”