Tel Viehmann Cunningfolk, LM, CPM, IBCLC

Licensed Midwife and Lactation Consultant

They / Them

 
 

My journey to midwifery started with MY OWN birth.

I was born in a hospital birth center into the hands of certified nurse midwives (CNMs). My mother proudly birthed me and my sister at the same birth center with no medication or unnecessary interventions. This experience deeply influenced her life and mine – I grew up hearing the story of my birth again and again throughout my childhood. At every baby shower (after my aunt shared that the best way to give birth was to ask for drugs before you even left the hospital parking lot), my mother stalwartly reaffirmed that natural birth was possible, breastfeeding was desirable, and cloth diapering was do-able. It stuck with me.

Even so, I still didn’t know that homebirth was an option until my senior year in college. I had been searching for a way to make a career out of reproductive health when I came upon an advertisement for a midwifery school. Shortly after, I took a labor doula course through CAPPA with the pressing, nagging thought that being a doula sounded nice, but at the end of the day I really wanted to be a midwife. Then my cousin’s wife had a baby boy and invited me to be their doula. It was my first birth. I was smitten, and when I walked out of the hospital that day I knew for certain that I was meant to be a midwife.

Since 2013, I have been practicing as a Licensed Midwife and Certified Professional Midwife located in California. I became an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) in 2023. I graduated from Birthwise Midwifery School in Bridgton, Maine, and prior to midwifery school I earned my BA from Mount Holyoke College. As a midwifery student, I trained in intensive apprenticeships with seven midwives all around the country in Topsham, ME; Austin, TX; Mesa, AZ; and finally in Los Angeles, CA. It is a very unique aspect of my training that I was able to work with so many midwives, learning from their wisdom and practice styles and incorporating the very best of it all into who I am as a midwife and how I practice.

I love serving families as they grow and expand during the childbearing year. The processes of giving birth and becoming a parent (whether for the first or seventh time) is beautiful, intensely powerful, messy, and transformative. I see myself as a facilitator, helping you give birth to yourself throughout the entire experience of pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum.

I live in Sacramento with my partner Alexis and our children.

Photo Credit: Little Wonders Photography

Amy Ferrucci

Student Midwife

She / Her

This has been the most rewarding experience of my life.

My name is Amy Ferrucci and I am a Student Midwife.  My journey into birth work began with the birth of my first child. I gave birth at age 19 in a hospital, with nurses and providers I didn’t know. My providers used medical language I didn’t understand and performed procedures I didn’t know I could say no to, and some I did say no to. I started my research on doulas and midwives, and pursued education by taking some weekend courses and reading anything available on the subject.

I then became pregnant with my second child, and I knew immediately what I wanted. I wanted midwives and a homebirth. This experience truly shifted my perspective - the care I received throughout my pregnancy, even after a non-emergent transfer during my labor, and during my postpartum, was something I had never experienced before in any medical setting. I had a choice, I made informed decisions, and I felt like my midwives knew me better than anyone, like dear friends. I knew I had to be a midwife.

Prior to midwifery school, I was a practicing certified massage therapist, working in a chiropractic office. After starting birth work, I focused on prenatal massage. I’m also a registered yoga teacher. This knowledge deeply informs my understanding of the body and mind connection and advice I share with clients.

I was trained and certified as a Midwife Assistant in 2016 and started attending home births with a Licensed Midwife in 2017 as often as I could. In 2019, I enrolled at National College of Midwifery as a student midwife, and  am now nearing my final phase. Outside of parenthood, this has been the most rewarding and challenging experience of my life.

I have made it my focus to serve families of all backgrounds. I firmly believe all people deserve compassionate, trauma informed and consent based health care, including the humans growing inside their parents. People deserve to lead their own care, make informed choices, and choose their birth team and know they can trust them with their lives. Even if the labor turns into a transport to a hospital, I want to know my clients know what they’re walking into and still have me by their side as support. I love watching families grow and change and bond through a birth, and I love quietly making sure everything is safe and normal

I’m a mother to two beautiful children and partner to a very supportive and loving person. I love being outdoors, being in nature grounds me and clears my mind. I love practicing yoga, cooking for my family, gardening, reading, roller-skating, and coloring in adult style coloring books. I am delighted to work with Tel and Taproot’s diverse clientele! It’s an amazing opportunity I am so grateful to have.

Taylor-leigh Rynicki

Student Midwife

She / Her

I am committed to this work, today and every day.

I am a Sacramento-based yoga teacher, student midwife, certified birth assistant, and certified birth doula. I began teaching yoga 14 years ago with the intention of providing a space where people could be vulnerable, powerful, and find strength within themselves. After over a decade of teaching, I began to recognize the deeper importance of this work and discovered my passion for supporting others. This is where my journey into birthwork began, though the seed had been planted 18 years prior, with my own pregnancy.

Becoming a birth worker is the result of my own lived experience with birth and a deep desire to hold space for others. In 2006, my son, my rainbow baby, was born with the love and support of a midwife named Hope and an amazing doula. This experience found a permanent place in my heart—deeply shaped my understanding of what birth can be like, and years later, led me into birthwork.

In 2019, the seed that had been planted years earlier came to life. Encouraged by a dear friend, I enrolled in a Doula Certification Program. I graduated and immediately began working with clients in Sacramento. A year later, we all faced the challenges of a global pandemic, which dramatically altered the landscape for birth workers. During this time, a dear friend and homebirth midwife asked me to help at a homebirth with a client experiencing a great deal of anxiety due to the world’s uncertainty. It was at that birth that I knew I wanted to do more. I enrolled in a Birth Assistant program and became certified that same year. In 2023, two years later, I had the honor of catching my first baby. That moment solidified my path, and I enrolled at the National Midwifery Institute as a student midwife the following year.

When I look back at what brought me into this work, I see that it was love—how I was cared for during the most vulnerable moment of my life. It was two women who held my hand, nurtured me, and mirrored my power and strength when I needed it most. This is why I do what I do. I believe that every person, and their families deserves this level of care, especially during childbirth. Every person has a right to educational, compassionate, trauma-informed, and inclusive care that gives them the confidence and love they deserve. The honor that comes with being able to offer that support to families is not lost on me. I am so grateful to be in this community and to hold the space that I do.

My name is Taylor-leigh. I am a mother, a yoga teacher, and a self admitted sneakerhead. I love car rides with my son, that somehow turn into spontaneous dance parties. The perfect trip for me? Picture this: me, my girlfriend, her dog Joey, her cat Miles (who probably judges us all silently), and a cozy camper van cruising to places I’ve never been. And what makes me smile? Easy—anything sweet. If it’s sugary and delicious, count me in!

Alyssa Lewis

Administrative Assistant

She / Her

My interest and love for babies and birth goes way back.

My interest and love for babies and birth goes way back—maybe to the early 2000's when I was binge-watching TLC's A Baby Story and taking on all the babysitting gigs I could findThroughout high school and college, I held a number of jobs in childcare and early education, and got my B.A. with a minor in child development. In 2017, I channeled this lifelong love into becoming a DONA-trained doula. Since then, I’ve been honored to support families through their unique birth journeys, both as a doula and in other roles within the birth community. While I'm not taking doula clients right now, I look forward to getting back to it in the near future. 

Alongside my history in doula work, I bring a strong background in event planning and administrative support, which I’m excited to apply as part of the Taproot team. I have a particular passion for midwifery care and home birth, and I truly believe every birthing person should have the opportunity to experience the comfort and support that comes with it. My daughter was born at home in 2021, and our time as Taproot clients remains one of the most transformative experiences of my life.

I’m based in Sacramento, where I live with my wife, our two kids (my 11-year-old stepson and our lively 2-year-old daughter), plus our dog and two cats. When I’m not supporting the Taproot Midwifery team, you’ll find me hanging out with my toddler at music or swim class, playing at the park, or spending time in nature.