I recently had the opportunity to help my breeder-mentor whelp a litter of puppies. That thread is here:
http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...-breeder-puppy/191954-i-got-doggie-doula.html
After being awake for 36 hours straight, I got to come home and take a nap while she had to remain awake, nursing along a little girl puppy who was struggling. Wow, it was so much work! Worth every second, but so much work, and incredibly stressful. Our breeder recommended I read Canine Reproduction by Phyllis Holst. I do not have a litter on the way, but aspire to maybe breed a litter someday, we'll see. I have a lot of learning to do before I reach that point. Meanwhile, I'm attending seminars, getting involved in my local breed club, competing with my dog, and learning as much as I possibly can about the breed standard, form and function, movement, structure, conditioning, etc. I am the kind of person who plans for the worst case scenario, since Murphy's Law always seems to bite me in the butt, so I want to know what happens when a puppy gets stuck, what happens when one is stillborn, what happens when one is struggling to survive in its first hours, what happens when progress grinds to a screeching halt and you have to load up the bitch in labor and new babies and head to the vet in the middle of the night (all of which, I might add, happened during my recent whelping experience).
Do you have a vet who is experienced (experienced meaning there are many other reputable breeders in your area who have used this vet and can recommend his or her services) in canine reproduction and can be on-call during the whelping of the litter (as in, not the answering service, but personal cell phone in the middle of the night??) A backup vet wouldn't be a bad idea either, just in case. Do you have someone who can help with the whelping, in the event that you have to make a trip to the vet, where you may be hanging out for awhile, assuming your husband will stay home with your kid?
This forum is full of passionate people who will be willing to offer you lots and lots of advice. Most have way more experience than I do, but I thought I'd share that story to offer some things I'd be thinking about at this point if I were you. Good luck!
