American couple is trapped in Brazil fighting court's bizarre reason for stopping them getting a passport for their baby after she was born three months prematurely while on vacation

An American couple, stranded in Brazil, have faced a bureaucratic nightmare as they fight the court's bizarre refusal to issue a passport for their newborn baby - after he was born three months premature while on vacation. 

Cheri and Chris Phillips of Cambridge, of Minnesota, set off on a two-week trip to Brazil in February when Cheri was six months pregnant, with doctors' approval. 

Her due date was not until early June, however, two days before their planned return home, Cheri was hospitalized for pregnancy complications, leading to an unexpected C-section.  

'I just thought I was sore,' Cheri Phillips said to CBS. 'But in the middle of the night I started bleeding, I told Chris, yes, I need to go to the hospital.'

'Eventually it just became obvious (our son) was going to be born,' Chris Phillips said. 'I was in the operating room with her, and it was terrifying.'

Cheri and Chris Phillips of Cambridge, of Minnesota (pictured) set off on a two-week trip to Brazil in February when Cheri was six months pregnant, with doctors' approval

Their son, Greyson, (pictured) was born on March 12, weighing just over two pounds after an unexpected C-section. After a harrowing 51-day stay in the neonatal intensive care unit, Greyson was finally given medical clearance to leave the hospital 

'It was terrifying, like oh my god,' Cheri Phillips said to the outlet. 'I don't speak the language (in Brazil), I have no idea what's going on half the time. It's scary.' 

Their son, Greyson, was born on March 12, weighing just over two pounds. After a harrowing 51-day stay in the neonatal intensive care unit, Greyson was finally given medical clearance to leave the hospital.

But, the family's journey back to the United States hit a roadblock as they face a series of challenges in obtaining a passport for their newborn - leaving them stranded in Brazil.  

'It's just this massive checklist of things, it's frightening and overwhelming, to be honest,' Chris Phillips said to CBS. 'Basically, we are caught in bureaucratic limbo.' 

But, the family's journey back to the United States hit a roadblock as they face a series of challenges in obtaining a passport for their newborn - leaving them stranded in Brazil

Her due date was not until early June, however, two days before their planned return home, Cheri was hospitalized for pregnancy complications, leading to an unexpected C-section

The Brazilian court refused to issue Greyson's birth certificate due to a requirement regarding the parents' names on their US passports

The Brazilian court refused to issue Greyson's birth certificate due to a requirement regarding the parents' names on their US passports. 

And the Phillips needed Greyson's birth certificate to obtain US documents, which they had to get at the consulate or the United States Embassy in Brasilia.

'The primary obstacle has been the local registry office, called a cartorio, which refuses to issue Greyson's birth certificate simply because (our) US passports do not have (our) parents' names on them,' the Phillips wrote in an appeal for help to family and friends. 

'Four weeks ago, (we) hired a lawyer to help secure Greyson's Brazilian documentation but, after nearly a month, it has gone nowhere and they have no way of knowing when the judge will take up their case or how long it will take once he does.' 

The Phillips also attempted to get help from Senator Tina Smith's office, who tried to streamline the passport process.

The Brazilian court refused to issue Greyson's birth certificate due to a requirement regarding the parents' names on their US passports

A statement to WCCO on Tuesday said that Smith has been in contact with the embassy and is working to eliminate the need to travel for a passport. 

Regardless, the family still needs a birth certificate from the Brazilian government. 

'It takes one person to make the call. One person to make the right call,' Chris Phillips said Tuesday. 'We can't be here forever. It's been almost three full months that we've been down here.'

'To be home, in our house, with help, people to wash the dishes and hold him, would mean the world,' Cheri Phillips said.

'When we get home, when we finally get into our house in Cambridge, that will be a time to celebrate,' Chris Phillips said.