Update on new pups

Do you mean they don't nestle or search? or more like they are there...they just can't get it into their mouth?
 
The first few days I am there every couple of hours making sure everyone is on a nipple and helping if needed. Make sure the weakest pups are on the hind nipples...near her rear legs as there's the most milk in those. Make sure they are actually nursing and not just sucking air as this will lead to a gassy distended belly and is pretty serious. You shoudln't hear a smacking noise if they're on right....
 
After that I usually just guide the pup with a hand and let them find it themselves...they are usually doing so by day 3 or so.

BTW you might want to start adding a small amount of apple cider vineagar to your dam's water...this will help prevent mastitis...very important.

As long as they are all eating now you need to just let mom take care of them.  She should potty them and keep them clean.  You just need to make sure they don't get pushed away and get cold.  Also if they start crying I would just put them up where they can find a nipple.  Often times you just don't seem them nurse but they are.  Just keep an eye on them and let momma do most of the work.  It is her job and she knows what to do.  Also an old trick is to give momma a little beer, it will help bring down her milk and also helps to relax her from the pain of surgery.  Some of mine like it and some don't, but it does help with the milk.  If you do suppliment use goats milk.  You can get it at HEB in the can milk section.  It is easier for the puppies to digest.
 
I am very pleased that you had her spayed with the section.  That is probably the best thing you could have done for her.  Especially if you love her and want to keep her for long time still.
 
Just remember the first 48 hours are the hardest.  Good luck with the puppies.

ORIGINAL: ceegee

As long as they are all eating now you need to just let mom take care of them.  She should potty them and keep them clean.  You just need to make sure they don't get pushed away and get cold.  Also if they start crying I would just put them up where they can find a nipple.  Often times you just don't seem them nurse but they are.  Just keep an eye on them and let momma do most of the work.  It is her job and she knows what to do.  Also an old trick is to give momma a little beer, it will help bring down her milk and also helps to relax her from the pain of surgery.  Some of mine like it and some don't, but it does help with the milk.  If you do suppliment use goats milk.  You can get it at HEB in the can milk section.  It is easier for the puppies to digest.

I am very pleased that you had her spayed with the section.  That is probably the best thing you could have done for her.  Especially if you love her and want to keep her for long time still.

Just remember the first 48 hours are the hardest.  Good luck with the puppies.

I completely disagree with this post.  Yes, it is good to try to let the mom try to care for the puppies, but there are different circumstances.  They are not getting enough to eat and were a bit early, so they NEED to be supplemented.  Just assuming they are eating if you don't see it will most likely result in the death of the pups.  Don't use goats milk, use puppy milk replacement.  And, NEVER EVER GIVE YOUR DOG BEER!.  Alcohol is toxic to dogs! 

Sorry Colleen, we will just have to agree to disagree on this one.  I have been breeding Chihuahuas for a long time and have had puppies born far earlier than these and had no problem handeling it this way.  A puppy will cry when it is hungry or uncomfortable.  Then you need to do something but if they are not crying and seem to be thriving then there is no reason to interfer.  As for the goats milk it is closer to real mothers milk than the replacement stuff and easier on the digestive system.  Also the beer does not hurt them and I have had vets reccommend it. 

glad to hear mom and pups are doing ok, i hope they stay that way.

did the vet offer any advice on how to care for them? he/she should've made sure you were fully informed prior to leaving with them. maybe you could call them tomorrow morning and find out what to watch for and how to care for them. best of luck, they sure are tiny little things.

Oh they are so tiny!  I just read the "born" thread and just want to add that I really do hope the best for your pups and mommy.[]
 
I would say for answers to any of your questions call the one who knows your dog the best, the vet where she got her c-section done.  advice over the phone is great.  Just make a list of everything you can think of, write it all down and when the vet's office is open give them a call.  Differnt dogs need differnt things and so it  would be best to ask the one who has phisicaly seen her to give you the best advice.

good luck!
Make sure mom does NOT squish those babies!

I'd be checking on them every 15 minutes or so. And/or I'd keep them real close by.

I could be wrong, but I'd imagine the risk of squishing is much less with a toy breed momma than a larger dog, simply because the pups are significantly larger in relation to mom.(IE, average birthweight of, say, a labrador is 2.5% of mom's adult weight- that would make (assuming a 70 pound mom) a pup 1 3/4 pounds at birth- I'm pulling these numbers out of my head, but I've seen this statistic in one of my books) whereas a toy breed pup would be a higher percentage of mom's weight. 

keep fighting little fella!!
I sincerely hope all goes well and the little guy grows up to be the biggest one of them all (I always vote for the underdog!)
 

I'm so glad the pups seem to be doing well now.  Come on little guy!!  Show us what you're made of!!

I thought the main thing was getting them to eat, but now it's just making sure they keep breathing.  The tiny boy seems to be doing much better than the two solid colored ones.  The biggest puppy, the solid black one, will only suckle for maybe 10 seconds, then his breathing seems to get worse.  When he breathes in his stomach sinks in.  I called the emergency vet and she said it sounded like gasping and that he wasn't going to make it.  To be honest they all do that from time to time, none so intensely as the black one.  The others will nurse for several minutes and then fall right back to sleep.  He just wants to sleep.  He's still alive, but at what cost?  Is he suffering?  Is the vet right, is he gasping for air or is that just the way it looks when he breathes because he's so tiny?  The vet has basically told me, both of them, that if they live they live, if they die so be it.  They say there's nothing they can do.  I want them to live but I don't want them to suffer.  This all went so terribly wrong. 
 
 

ORIGINAL: superchi

I thought the main thing was getting them to eat, but now it's just making sure they keep breathing.  The tiny boy seems to be doing much better than the two solid colored ones.  The biggest puppy, the solid black one, will only suckle for maybe 10 seconds, then his breathing seems to get worse.  When he breathes in his stomach sinks in.  I called the emergency vet and she said it sounded like gasping and that he wasn't going to make it.  To be honest they all do that from time to time, none so intensely as the black one.  The others will nurse for several minutes and then fall right back to sleep.  He just wants to sleep.  He's still alive, but at what cost?  Is he suffering?  Is the vet right, is he gasping for air or is that just the way it looks when he breathes because he's so tiny?  The vet has basically told me, both of them, that if they live they live, if they die so be it.  They say there's nothing they can do.  I want them to live but I don't want them to suffer.  This all went so terribly wrong. 

Did you ask on the board that Rwbeagles recommended? You might want to start a new post here also since time is of the essence with this sort of thing and someone might be able to help. I hope the babies make it...

Have you checked the puppies for cleft palate? Look at the top of the roof of the mouth and check to make sure it's solid alll the way back to the throat....
 
were they syringed and shaken down upon leaving the dam's uterus? If there is fluid still inside that is bad bad bad...and needs to be addressed by a vet. Puppies born via section are not squeezed in the canal so they tend to retain fluid unless really emptied when removed.
 
Also the gasping could be due to the milk coming out too forcefully right when they first latch on. Put a strong sucker on the teat first...then remove them and put on the weaker pup....the flow should be slower then,...