Cambridge family trying to return to Minnesota after premature birth of son in Brazil
Chris and Cheri Phillips traveled to Florianopolis, Brazil, back in mid-February to celebrate a family member’s birthday and they are still there.
The couple had no idea they’d be having their baby while on the trip.
The Phillipses, from Cambridge, Minnesota, welcomed baby boy Greyson, who weighed 2 pounds, 2 ounces and was three months premature.
“It’s truly overwhelming,” Chris Phillips said. “Now that he’s in our care, now that he’s doing well, we are seeing a path forward.”
After weeks of waiting for help, the couple learned they could be able to return home next month.
The path home requires Greyson to obtain crucial documents, which has become an ordeal over the past four weeks, the family said.
The baby boy spent 51 days in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit before recently being released to his parents.
The family is staying in a rental property in Brazil with their 9-week-old as they try to make their way back to Minnesota.
“How do you describe it? A lot of it doesn’t feel real,” Cheri Phillips said. “You’re in crisis mode to get through all the things that need to get done.”
According to the family, in order to get a Brazilian birth certificate, the Phillipses need to prove who the baby’s grandparents are, which isn’t on any documents they brought on vacation.
Their Minnesota family sent the couple their own birth certificates and wedding license to prove that information to the government, but it lacked a key stamp that Brazil requires.
And then, to get a U.S. passport, Greyson needs a birth certificate. The nearest consulate is nearly 300 miles away, but he’s not big enough to travel that far in a car seat.
Recently, the family reached out to U.S. Sen. Tina Smith’s office for assistance
On Thursday, the couple learned they would be helped by the U.S. Embassy, and some of the rules would be waived to get all three of them home.
While the process won’t happen overnight, the Phillipses should be back in Minnesota next month.
“It was a hallelujah moment. So much relief. Everything feels a little bit lighter now. Still surreal, we’re still nervous, cautiously optimistic that things will go well,” Chris Phillips said.
During their extended stay, Chris Phillips’ daughter, who lives in Brazil, has been able to see her new baby brother.
“That’s been the one silver lining through all of this,” Chris said. “She truly embraced the role of big sister. It was fantastic.”