Can anyone help? My bitch has just whelped and several of her nipples are inverted so the new pups are having trouble feeding as there are not enough good nipples to go round and they all seem to want to feed at the same time!
She has two good ones on one side and three on the other. She tends to lie on the side with just two nipples easily accessible and the small weaker pups are missing out. I am having to latch them on and watch them constantly as the bigger pups just come along and barge them off.
Does anyone know what I can do to encourage the inverted nipples to protrude? I can tried kneading them and washing them with warm water to no avail.
Any tips would be welcome also do other owners find their bitches have a rather casual approach to motherhood. Rosie is quite happy to wander off while they are asleep and even when they are feeding if she hears something interesting happening. Other than that she seems a very caring mother. Will she get more serious as time goes on?

i find if you have your bitch on her side pull out back leg that is underneath then pull out front leg that is underneath you can much easier access milk bar and all nipples become accessable if that makes sence my bitch will happily feed then wander off but she always is ready when they next need feeding

Pippa had 2 inverted nipples and 12 pups so I know exactly where you are coming from!
Ours are almost 2 weeks old now and the pups have sucked one of them out so it is pretty good, the other is still quite iffy.
We find she tends to wander off too though left to it she is being very responsible and they certainly aren't shouting or hungry. We have one very little one who tends to get pushed off by the bigger stronger ones...it is always going to be a problem with 12 mouths and only 6 good nipples! We tend to keep slotting her and as the others get tired she gets feeding. She isn't putting on weight as fast and is still small but I was advised on here not to supplement her.
We are going to start weaning them earlier than some might with it being such a big litter.
Hope this is helpful.

If they are literally only a day or two old you will probably find that they improve at latching on and finding the teats underneath - Ellie's puppies were unbelievably stupid about latching on the first day or two, I kept having to open their mouths, stick them on, then close their mouths again as they would be trying to suckle without having gripped the teats! As long as they are gaining weight each day I wouldn't worry too much. Put the smaller ones on the back teats (if they are the right way round!) when possible and they should be fine. :-)

Many thanks for the advice so far
Four of the puppies are doing just fine though not gaining as much weight as I might have expected. If they are going to double their birth weight in a week they have a long way to go. The tiniest puppy is definitely not thriving and I really don't think it is going to make it, although I can't help trying with supplementary feeding etc. It does not seem to have enough strength to suckle from Rosie. The other little puppy has lost a lot of weight since birth although it does feed  quite well and I have been sticking it on the best nipple to ensure it gets its share- though as it seems to give up quite quickly I have been giving it some supplementary feeding.
Rosie is still not really settling down to motherhood, Her latest escapade is to carry the pups to various locations specially the tiny one. Earlier this morning she dumped the lot in a chair and settled down with them which is of course away from the heat. Luckily the kitchen is quite warm today so I left her to it. Clearly she does not feel comfortable in her whelping box which is in a large broom cupboard ( cleared out!) off the utility room. For safety I have now penned her in there while I write this.
I am keen that she does not become any more anxious than she already is as I fear it might affect her milk supply.
She is not a at all a nervous dog - My husband and I live alone and have not allowed any visitors.  She does not appear in the least protective of her puppies as far as my husband or I are concerned, but I wonder if I am interfering too much in trying to get the tinies on her. Should I just leave to sort out the four and not fuss around trying to latch on the other two.  As you are surely aware by now this is my first litter. I have read all the books (and don't they have conflicting advice!) but lack of sleep and worry over the puppies welfare is really beginning to get to me. I am not sure where I go from here to improve matters. Oh dear, I do sound pathetic  not my usual style, I am normally quite confident and upbeat ,. I don't ever remember worrying so much about my own babies who have long flown the nest and have families of their own.