Meet The Team | Family Tree and Me

Our Story & Our Team

Founded in the early 2000s with a humble beginning in community Doula care, Family Tree has blossomed into a beacon of love and support in the birthing community. Randi Fay Payton embarked on her journey into midwifery, culminating with her licensure in 2013, marking the formal birth of Family Tree Midwifery. Over the years, many birth workers, doulas, assistants, and students collaborated alongside Randi, fostering a culture of learning and growth deeply rooted in love for the Northern California birth community.

As the practice flourished, Randi evolved into one of the experienced midwives of the community, educating local birth workers and fellow midwives alike, hosting study groups, and clinical practice sessions. With the pivotal addition of Amie in 2020 as a full-time student turned partner, they navigated the complexities of running a full-time midwifery & women's health practice while balancing the demands of their busy personal lives, both being wives and mothers themselves. Amie's journey to licensure in 2024 further solidified the partnership, allowing them to share the responsibilities of caring for families with unwavering grace and dedication.

And now, a new chapter unfolds as we add a team to Family Tree, signaling a commitment to expand the availability and quality of support for all families in the community and adding to a strategically planned sustainable family of birth workers. Randi, Amie, and their growing team look forward to welcoming new Student Doulas into their practice, continuing to nurture a culture of compassion, empowerment, and unwavering dedication to the art of birth work and serving mothers and babies during the most sacred journey of their lives. Keep reading to learn more about each of us!

Randi Payton

Licensed Midwife, Certified Professional Midwife

Owner & Chaos Coordinator @ Family Tree Midwifery

Hello Friends! I am Randi, mother to 6 children, some born at home, some in the hospital and one via cesarean section. My own birth experiences are vast!

I received my "calling" to be a birth worker more than 20 years ago and have followed the twists and turns that this calling brings me to from working as a Doula while attending night college courses, my own babies tucked in sleeping at home with my husband. I followed the call toward registered nursing, labor and delivery and ultimately side tracked falling in love with holistic care and ultimately, Midwifery.

I had the honor to work under and alongside several Sacramento Area Midwives, Nurse Midwives, Licensed Midwives and even an OBGYN practicing home birth who facilitated twin births at home - dreamy. I feel grateful to maintain supportive professional relationships with our local Midwifery community practices.

I pride myself on constantly fine-tuning. I weave in the ancient art of holistic Midwifery while simultaneously pouring over current research and evidence based recommendations for the birth world.

I have said so many times and will say many times again, that witnessing new life emerge on this planet is the most sacred honor. It never loses its magic. Each parent, each birth, each family - is so incredibly special to me.

Together, since 2013, our families have made this sweet little tribe with amazing vibes...and we cannot wait to welcome you to our sacred space!

-Midwife Randi

MY BIRTH PHILOSOPHY

Birth is a natural, normal life event for human beings. It is a right of passage and should be supported, not managed or controlled. I prefer to practice from a place of prevention and preparation and only use the medical skills and equipment on hand for situations that truly need it. I believe the appropriate balance of highly specific medical skills that Midwives know, and the age old wisdom and trust in human birth makes for optimal outcomes. I firmly believe that when families are offered all of the information about the topic at hand, they make fantastic decisions for themselves and their unborn children.

I trust parental instincts.

Amie Walder

Licensed Midwife, Certified Professional Midwife, Placenta Specialist, Master Baby Soother & Newborn Care Educator

I have always loved babies, I began babysitting for neighbors at the age of 10. My love for children took me down many paths: I thought I wanted to be a teacher, I was a nanny while attending Sierra College. My husband and I became foster parents and I began to come into the holistic parenting lifestyle I had learned from my nanny clients.

The very first birth I attended was a long lasting labor, 20 years ago, also attended by a Birth Doula. The Doula was so full of information, and her ability to explain, comfort, and support a mother through her long journey of labor and delivery left me in complete awe. I was so impressed and full of passion to help educate and support other moms that I continued to absorb all things birth related and soon found myself attending many births as a Doula full of information and comfort. I loved birth and helping moms experience the birth they envisioned for their baby.

As I birthed my own two children, I felt the importance of a support network for building confidence in yourself as a parent. Parenting is challenging and it takes a village. It really does!As my children grew and began to be more independent I returned to college with the goal of becoming a Labor and Delivery Nurse. Doula work had lit my fire and I wanted to support moms desiring a more natural birth in the hospital setting. I attended evening classes while simultaneously working in the front office of my children's school, which is also where Randi and I first met - both of us had children in the same class and our paths crossed often.

Once I had finally finished my prerequisites for Nursing school and was ready to apply, I repeatedly seemed to hit closed doors. The spaces for nursing classes are few in our area, and the demand is quite high. Any extra experience pertaining to the medical world would increase the chances of getting accepted. Frustrated and thinking outside the box, I took a long shot and asked Randi, in the middle of a pandemic, while our region was under a shelter in place order (quarantine) if I could complete 200 volunteer hours with her and her practice….?

A few years and many more than 200 hours later, I passed my own Midwifery Exam and took a position as the official second Midwife at Family Tree Midwifery. I am thankful for the path that led me to Midwifery and Family Tree and I am enjoying every step of this journey!

Ashley Catto

Certified Midwifery Assistant, Senior Doula, Bereavement Doula, Professional Birth & Newborn Photographer

My name is Ashley, I married my high school sweetheart, we have two beautiful children. After experiencing the beauty, unique differences, strength, sacredness, and support I received from my Doula, with the births of both my children, it put a passion in my heart to help expecting families on a greater level. Offering support in the decisions they make for their birth. This led me to pursuing my certification as a Birth and Bereavement Doula through Still Birth Day Academy.

I am a firm believer that families need to be supported, no matter the outcome of their pregnancy. Birth looks different for each individual and it is my hope and heart to provide a strong support system for families, both with happy endings, and also the ones who are experiencing loss. Grief comes in all different forms, but you don't have to be alone in it. It is an incredible experience to support mothers, believe in them, assist them, educate them, and remind them just how incredibly strong they are!

I am passionate about my job, and feel so honored to be the one that is trusted to capture and support what will become one of your most life changing days. Birth is like a time warp, on one hand it seems never ending, like all of the pregnancy builds up to this event, but there is somehow no end in sight, at the same time, the entire journey to welcoming your child and those first moments with a new life are fleeting. Never to be experienced again.

It is my job to protect and give back these moments, and memories, through photography. Each birth is unique, as only two souls meeting for the first time can be. But what I've learned from having my own two babies is that, those memories that I swore I could never forget, quickly became a blur. This is why I'm passionate about celebrating and documenting each birth I attend. It's my joy an honor to work in multiple counties serving at birth centers, home births and hospitals, giving growing families documented memories they can look back on and cherish for a lifetime.

Blessings, Ashley

Ashlee Santos

Student Doula, Placenta Specialist & Postpartum Caregiver

Hello! I'm Ashlee Santos a compassionate doula dedicated to supporting families through the transformative journey of childbirth and beyond. With a passion for empowering women and fostering a positive birth experience, I've had the privilege of attending both home births and hospital births. My support is tailored to each family's unique needs. My calm and reassuring presence helps create a peaceful atmosphere, allowing mothers to trust their bodies and make informed decisions.

In addition to prenatal and labor support, I also offer postpartum care. I enjoy helping new families navigate the early days of parenthood by helping with recovery and building confidence.

Further, I'm trained in placenta encapsulation, providing a natural and holistic way to support postpartum recovery, energy, and overall well-being.

My approach is centered around respect, empathy, and individualized care. I believe every family deserves a supportive and non-judgmental space to welcome their new baby. Let's work together to create a beautiful birth experience that honors your unique journey.

Demetra DeVisscher

Student Doula & Placenta Specialist

Hi! I’m Demetra. I’m a crunchy-ish mama of four and a homeschool mama. I love spending time with my family and friends, I love animals, I love to travel, and I love any excuse for a themed party! I try and live a mostly holistic lifestyle, but I won’t turn down a glass of sangria, a charcuterie board, and binge watching some trash tv!

I’m also an advocate for the divine nature of birth and empowering moms. Being a doula is one of my greatest passions and has always held a big piece of my heart.

“When you change the way you view birth, the way you birth will change.” - Marie F. Mongan

Even before I gave birth to my first daughter, I watched birth shows and found myself stepping into the world of midwives, doulas, home births and unmedicated labors. I was in awe that birth could be so empowered, so natural, so sacred - it was nothing like I had seen depicted in the movies. Even with limited knowledge and experience, I could clearly see that these women didn’t view birth as a medical event needing a multitude of interventions, they saw birth for what it truly was: magical and primal. They trusted their intuition, as well as their bodies. I knew in that moment, I wanted to birth like these strong, amazing women. I wanted to bring my future babies into the world without fear and as natural as possible.

“Giving birth should be your greatest achievement, not your greatest fear.” - Jane Weideman

Blessed is an understatement when I think back on the birth of my children: Four beautiful babies, all born at home surrounded by love. With the help of an amazing team of midwives and doulas, my dreams had become my reality. It is now my turn to support you and help make your birth dreams come true.

As your birth doula, I promise to support you, honor your wishes, and empower you. I promise to keep space for you as you navigate your birth plan. I promise to provide information to help you make the best informed decision for yourself. I promise to be compassionate and care for you and your family as if it were my own. And I promise to do anything within my power to give you the birth of your dreams.

In addition to supporting you in labor and birth, I will be there to provide prenatal care and postpartum care to encompass the entire birth process. I also offer placenta encapsulation, which is a wonderful holistic way to support hormonal and emotional recovery post-birth.

This is YOUR story. It would be my absolute honor to be chosen as your doula to walk alongside you on this sacred journey.

“We have a secret in our culture, and it’s not that birth is painful. It’s that women are strong.” - Laura Stave Harm

Always remember, you are SO STRONG. Mama, you’ve got this!

Hailey Rodriguez

Senior Doula & Placenta Specialist

I’m Hailey- a wife, mama to 2 (almost 3!) babies, and Birth Doula!

After an unpleasant hospital birth with my first, I spent months dreaming of becoming a Doula. I had such a fire inside me to help other mom’s get the most out of their pregnancy and birth experience, but most of all, to guide them to follow their own intuition.

With my nursing baby in tow, I trained with Sierra Childbirth Institute and kicked off my Doula journey. Since then, I’ve been having babies of my own, balancing motherhood, and attending home and hospital births. Holding space for women to carry out their birth wishes and helping guide them to follow what truly matters most to them is what drives me in this work. I believe birth is transformative for mothers and babies, a truly sacred event in life that deserves nothing but love and respect the whole way. Connection for me as a Doula is extremely important and I don’t take the honor of being in your birth space lightly. While I want to know your birth wishes and guide you through them, I also want to know you as a woman and connect to best serve you during your pregnancy and birth.

I’m a lover of all things holistic. I love utilizing things like essential oils and natural herbs, but I also love to binge watch trashy reality TV and eat Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. You might catch me drinking a Starbucks, especially when pumpkin cold foam rolls out. Zero shame.

In my personal time I love to work out, try new restaurants with my husband (we’re big foodies!), and bake. I love to garden but usually by August I’ve given up on all my plants!

Empowering you in your birth choices as you define them is always my goal when working together.

I trust you and your intuition, and that’s what ultimately guides me as a doula.

I can’t wait to meet you and walk along side you! ❤️

Shelby Anuszczyk

Senior Doula & Placenta Specialist

When you dream about birth or your ideal postpartum, what does it look like?

This is where my passion for supporting mothers in their journey through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum began. The ultimate way to empowerment in birth is knowledge. Knowledge leads to confidence which will lead you into a powerful mindset and birth experience, no matter the outcome.

My name is Shelby, and the last 5 years of serving women in the birth world has been one of the greatest blessings in my life. I was originally studying to become a Nurse Midwife. I quickly learned working in a hospital wasn’t for me, which lead me to becoming a Doula, supporting women birthing in the hospital. I trained as a Birth and Postpartum Doula, and certified in basic breastfeeding support as well. I spent a year working under a Midwife at a local birth center, then began working mainly as a home birth Doula. From natural hospital births, cesareans, inductions, birth center, and home births, I’ve been able to support parents on many different birth experiences.

I’m married to my high school sweetheart, and together we are building our dream property while raising our two children. On a usual day you can find me and my littles, running around the ranch getting our chores done then grabbing coffee with friends and heading to the park.

I am a home birth lover, holistic minded mama with a tincture or supplement for anything and everything. As natural minded as I am, I very much live the 80 percent holistic, 20% not so holistic lifestyle. In my free time you can find me pouring a glass of wine and enjoying my guilty pleasure of reality TV.

Pregnancy, birth, and postpartum is a sacred, exciting, and vulnerable time in a woman's life. I am here to prepare and support you if challenges arise, to guide you to the birth that you have always dreamt of. Choosing a Doula is a very important decision, always hire a birth team member who you connect with, who you can see yourself being vulnerable with, who makes you feel seen, heard, and loved. If you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to get to know me and I hope to hear from you soon!