I have been sleeping next to mine and will do so until at least 3 weeks old. By that time with my last litter, mum did not want to be in with them all night. I used to make her go in at about midnight and then hubby would get up at 5 and let her back in again. If they woke up during the night, I would take her with me and give them a top up but she REALLY, REALLY didn't want to be in with them all night. It may be different with this girl and in that case I will do what she feels comfortable with.

Do keep me posted on how you get on with the box over the next few weeks as I haven't whelped in mine and don't think it would last more than the 3 weeks I managed with it for my last litter. However, my breed pups may be totally different in behaviour to your's and less rough with it.

I wouldn't normally advocate bathing mum so soon but she was having difficulty toileting being so caked in blood and amniotic fluid. We tried using a well dampened towel but it didn't work and the pups were getting covered in it. The little chap who likes to sleep between her rump and tail was literally drenched all day yesterday so we felt it better to wash her.

I think you will find that both mum and the pups will settle within 24hrs and there will be less screaming and whining and once she's sure they're ok, not going anywhere, definitely her's etc she will stop obsessing over their bums all the time and start to rest - only cleaning bums when required :)

My pups are already very mobile, dragging themselves from one end of the box to the other, have filled out and are already bigger than my hand. They seem to have doubled in size over 24hrs..Little fatty bum bums :)

ETA: I think I may have 2 with bumps where the umbilicus was so far...

Fantastic 7!  So pleased you stayed to let us know the outcome of your girl.....

All is going well here so far.

I had to change the bedding in the box and take out the extra piece of cardboard we put in for whelping. This meant putting pups in a box and mum didn't like that much and got very worried I was throwing one away with the cardboard and had to check it and then wanted to check in the garden(!). Anyway, once I put the new vet bed in with the pups back again, she settled down again.

The pups are much quieter now - I think mum's milk maybe hadn't come down yet properly last night - but it has now...

Everything else is good! I do keep looking at her rear end for a placenta but haven't seen anything - but I did doze a few hours last night and I've seen her licking it ferociously.

Phew - so glad everything appears to be ok so far, besides that!!

Heat pad question:

The Warrick heat pads are only activated when there is pressure on them, right?  (I think that's what the instructions said and why they told me to put something on it, to test it.) 

So: When there are no puppies on the heat pad, it's not on - so how do the puppies seek out the heat pad??  Am I missing something?  Should I put something on it so it stays on?  I've just put it in there now I've cleaned out the old cardboard base and it's just sitting in a corner and no one's using it...

Second heat pad question:  It comes with one of the Warrick covers (washable at 30deg).  Do I just put it in the whelping box like that, and they lie directly on the heat pad cover?  Or should I put it under the vet bed?  (I think the instructions said not to cover it with anything....?)

Thx...

PS Full details - their weights are pretty similar too:
#1 19:14 girl 410g,
#2 20:03  boy, 408g,
#3 20:14 boy, 411g,
#4 20:45 girl,  345g,
#5 20:50 boy,  383g
#6 22:05 girl,  427g
#7 22:13 girl,  400g

Oh I think I am devoted to poodles now, but I have to say they do tug at my heartstrings a wee bit.

Congratulations and glad it all went so straightforwardly.

Nice quick whelping!

I have two Warwick heated pads, one for each breed so different sizes, and I've always put it underneath the vetbed and have always found that pups do crawl to it -or away from it if they are warm. I can feel the heat if putting my hand on top of the vetbed.

Thanks Goldmali - does the weight of the vet bed keep it turned on then?

Very many congratulations on a job well done!!  Mine are due around the 1st/2nd July and I have decided to try and not panic about the water bag this time as long as she isn't pushing.
With my first litter, I stayed in the room with mum and pups for two weeks, second litter I went to bed as I now live in a bungalow and Mum has no qualms about shouting for me if she needs me!!  I discovered this last time when she woke me with one loud bark and when I went in, one of the puppies had managed to get their head stuck between the bars of the pen!  From then I fixed a cardboard box right around the pen front...it hadn't reached quite all the way and isn't it sods law that the puppy found that bit LOL.  Anyway, this time I have bought a whelping box which is due to arrive on Tuesday (Steel City - thanks to those who recommended them!) so nothing to get stuck in.  I've had the extra height to 18" rather than 12" so that should be fine, especially as the front has a variable height to it so Mum won't scrape her tummy to get out.  Just a waiting game now.
Congrats again on your lovely litter.

I assume it must do rabid -I didn't even know it was meant to be weight on it. I've had 5 litters between those two pads I've got, and two of them were in December with toy puppies.

I always put my heat pads under the vet bed xxx

Well I'd rather put it under the vet bed, as it's much easier to clean the vet bed than the heater cover thing....

Mine are 11 days old now. I put heat pad under the vet bed and will stay downstairs until they are 4 weeks. Congratulations
Nessa
Edited because spelling was bad puppy brain lol

Congratulations on your litter Rabid