Rne card and passport questions

We are an European couple with a baby on board (which is due in June 2016), and we want to relocate to Brazil to give birth to the child - for several different reasons. At the moment we are trying to solve all our questions before we really decide to go all the way across the Atlantic, and hopefully some of you have some experience with living in Brazil.
I have been reading that the prosessing time of RNE is reaaaaaaaally long. But in reality, how long does it take to obtain a RNE from the time we apply? What is your experiences? And is it possible to apply for a passport when we only hold a "protocolo" (which is the temporary card we get while waiting for RNE)?

Thanks for any guidelines or sharing your experience with RNE cards or applying for citizenship in Brazil.