…because I think my problem has something to do with Vitamin D. Six months ago, Marissa, who is now one-year-old, developed a painless bump on her arm. I watch her closely; I know she did not fall; she was only six months at the time. In the emergency room they found a broken bone in her arm and then x-rayed her entire body and found two more broken bones, but these other two places were not swollen and Marissa did not cry when the doctor pushed on the area.

Well, a child abuse expert was called in and we were accused of abuse and they took our baby away, saying we had beaten her. I can’t forget Marissa screaming when they tore her out of my arms. We were shocked. We could never do such a thing. Even though they could not find any evidence of abuse except these broken bones, the DA tells me if I don’t plead guilty and testify against my husband and say he did it, I will be prosecuted as well and never see my baby again. Our lawyer says I can be forced to testify against my husband in child abuse but he would never hurt Marissa. I don’t know what to do. My husband is ready to plead guilty to save our baby from foster care but I don’t think I can let him do that.

I have learned of other African American parents in the same situation. Neither of us would ever abuse our child, it took seven years of trying and then infertility treatment to have her. The reason I am writing is because I have read about cases of rickets where unexplained fractures are common, especially in African Americans like us, that are being called child abuse. I breast fed Marissa but I now know that breast milk doesn’t have enough Vitamin D. We should have given it to her but our pediatrician never said anything about it and La Leche league says breast milk is all infants need.

When we learned Vitamin D may be involved, I asked my doctor to test me and my level was 5 at first. He prescribed Drisdol and now it is 18 after taking 50,000 IU per week for two months. When our lawyer brought up rickets and Vitamin D deficiency the DA had Marissa x-rayed for rickets and tested for Vitamin D; her x-rays were normal and her blood level is now 21, but the child abuse doctors never tested her for Vitamin D when they first took her away from us and she had been on 400 IU formula in foster care for five months when they finally tested her.

We had another radiologist look at the original x-rays and compare them to her current ones. He said it looked like rickets and he said her bones look much better now at the growth areas. However, when he found out it was a child abuse case he said he would not get involved.

From your website, I learned breast-feeding mothers have to take 6,000 IU a day to get enough Vitamin D in breast milk. Marissa never went in the sun; our pediatrician said babies should never go in the sun. I don’t know what to do. I know you used to testify in child abuse cases, will you help us? We can pay. Kathryn, Boston, MA

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Please note: the photo above is NOT the baby in the story.