DETROIT — Erica McLeod, a mother of three, holds up what looks like a string of wooden beads, each one just a little bigger than the previous one.

She uses it to teach Rachel Trader, 22, an expectant mother who stopped breastfeeding her first child because she thought she wasn’t producing enough milk.

"I don’t want to do that this time," says Trader, of Ypslanti, Mich., who is due May 13. "I want to do better this time."

McLeod, of Ann Arbor, Mich., points to the smallest bead — about ¾-of-an inch across.

"This is how big the baby’s stomach is at a day old," says McLeod, explaining that it holds 2 teaspoons of milk. "At a day old, your baby doesn’t need much more than this" at a feeding.

"You will produce enough; I guarantee you," says McLeod.

McLeod, 34, is a peer-to-peer breastfeeding counselor for Washtenaw County, Mich., in a program that targets lower-income mothers who aren’t as likely as other women to breastfeed their babies.

With McLeod’s guidance over the next few months, Trader hopes to successfully breastfeed her second child and overcome the obstacles that led her to quit nursing Carson James Hunt, now 7 months old, just a few weeks after he was born.

"I feel more comfortable talking to people who know what they’re talking about," says Trader, about the peer-to-peer counseling she’ll receive through the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) program.

Like expectant mothers and babies, Michigan’s breastfeeding statistics need nurturing.

Michigan ranks 37th among all states and the District of Columbia in the number of mothers who have ever breastfed their babies, with 69.3 percent of mothers saying they started breastfeeding, according to the 2011 Breastfeeding Report Card, compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But most mothers don’t stick with it, even though the U.S. Surgeon General and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life to maximize health benefits.

Only 31 percent of Michigan mothers were exclusively breastfeeding by the time their babies were 3 months old, and only 16 percent continued to six months, according to the 2011 report card.

What matters more than how a doctor or lactation consultant instructs these women is the support they get from mother-to-mother counseling, said Julie Lothamer, the WIC program peer counselor coordinator for the Michigan Department of Community Health.

Women helping other breastfeeding women are the main tool in a statewide initiative, now in its second year, to boost breastfeeding among lower-income mothers through the WIC program. Using federal dollars, it employs mothers — currently 85 of them throughout the state — who themselves received WIC benefits and who are now trained to help other WIC mothers take to breastfeeding.

Lothamer says the women "relate well to the other moms and the barriers they have. They are moms who’ve walked in their shoes, who can say, ‘I know where you’re coming from and this is how I make it work," says Lothamer. "These peers are gung ho."

The program seeks to intercept pregnant mothers as soon as they apply for WIC benefits, and use the intervening months before they give birth to educate them about the benefits of breastfeeding for their babies and themselves.

Breastfeeding is tops among important preventive measures to boost children’s health.

"We’re trying to broaden the scope of women who get answers to their question prenatally … but also a support person they know they can call," says Lothamer.

Breastfeeding mothers can encounter many obstacles. There may be initial physical discomfort from breastfeeding done improperly. Fathers may encourage bottle use, so they can share in the bonding that comes from feeding. There may be lack of family support, or negative impressions left by publicity generated when breastfeeding mothers were kicked off buses or upbraided in a restaurant. Michigan is one of only five states — South Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia and Idaho are the others — that has no laws protecting a mother’s right to breastfeed in public, Lothamer says.

"With our young moms, especially, that’s a fear for them," she says. "They say, ‘I don’t want to be the mom who gets kicked off the bus, or get kicked out of a store because I’m breastfeeding.’"

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Dr. Paula Schreck, a St. John Medical Center pediatrician and lactation consultant, started a breastfeeding clinic at St. John to target at-risk mothers.

At St. John, about 60 percent to 70 percent of 1,800 births annually are to WIC-eligible mothers, says Schreck.

She started a breastfeeding support group, which partners with the WIC services provided through the Urban League of Detroit, to recruit participants. When WIC holds a breastfeeding baby shower for its participants, it’s held in her clinic.

Doleila Lopez, 35, of St. Clair Shores credits Schreck’s clinic and WIC peer counselor Monica Washington of Taylor for her success in breastfeeding her firstborn son, 5-month-old Anis Ibraheem Antoun.

"Monica walked me through my challenges," says Lopez. "Breastfeeding my son means everything. I would not be able to breastfeed without the support. There’s nothing that replaces a mother’s milk."

Washington, 32, who has breastfed five children, says she enjoys her work because she sees the difference she makes to mothers and babies.

"I think I impact a lot of younger moms when they see a young mom like myself, and I’ve been breastfeeding since 19," says Washington, whose children range in age from 2 to 13. "They ask me, how do I lead a normal life and breastfeed? It’s not like you walk around with a baby attached to your breast all day. They see that it’s possible to have a normal life."

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In Washtenaw County, WIC Service Coordinator Gayathri Akella has hired four mothers who have successfully breastfed their children to be peer-to-peer counselors. Akella says WIC has instituted changes to promote breastfeeding.

WIC staffers, Akella says, are instructed to ask women, "How’s breastfeeding going?" instead of asking, "Are you still breastfeeding?" to emphasize what’s expected.

April Herzig, 27, of Ann Arbor, Mich., is mother to 13-month-old Sophia and is one of the four peer-to-peer WIC counselors.

"Some women don’t understand why it’s so good for their baby. A lot of it is just educating them," says Herzig. She finds that letting them know of her problems — and eventual success — helps them adapt.

That’s just what peer counselor McLeod does as she talks to Rachel Trader. McLeod shares tip after tip, and suggests that Trader tell her doctor she intends to breastfeed and to make sure the new baby gets cuddle time with mom within 30 minutes of birth.

"If the baby is given to mom within the first half hour, the success rate for breastfeeding is much higher," McLeod tells her. She also suggests that Trader write down her breastfeeding preferences on paper, and have it placed in the baby’s layette so nurses see it to guide them.

McLeod says she wants her clients to know they’re "just one phone call away from support." She delights in the information and power she provides her clients.

"I like empowering them and giving them the knowledge to make the decision," she says . "It’s great when you get the response of ‘ Oh, I didn’t know that,’ and maybe I’ll change my mind and breastfeed my baby to give him the best healthy start possible."

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BREASTFEEDING BENEFITS

For baby:

Boosts immune system to help fight infections so baby is sick less often

Delays onset or reduces risk of developing allergies and asthma

The milk is easier to digest, so there’s less diarrhea, constipation and spitting up

It offers a natural mix of vitamins, minerals and nutrients and reduces risk of obesity

For mother:

Helps body get back in shape; burns calories

Reduces risk of breast and ovarian cancers

Saves money:

Source: "How WIC Helps" by U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service