Blottie at nearly eight weeks

Blottie reaches eight weeks from her first mating on Tuesday, and although on the cusp of survival at eight weeks, pups can arrive anytime from then and it would not be wise to leave a bitch unattended for any length of time as we get so close. Observation is critical now as we get so close to the birth.  
The whelping box has been up for a week now and Blottie visits it from time to time, more so as her time approaches. We deck it out ready for the days leading upto and the birth. The floor is lined with absorbent pads  and ripped up newspaper, as this is ideal for the bitch to dig up and burrow in as birth approaches. 
At eight weeks gestation the pups now have fur and their skeletons have solidified making them more easy to feel moving and see them moving. The bitch's teats will begin to swell with milk. Trimming of hair (if long) around the teats and vulva is a good idea to make it easier for you to observe things are going okay as she births and that pups are latching on and suckling heartily once born. If a good size litter, the pups will be taking up a lot of room now and Mum will find it hard to eat much, so little meals and offered often is needed. She will also need to relieve herself more often as her bladder and bowels have less room. 
Blottie seemingly really well and her pups are moving well as we enter the last week of her pregnancy. She likes her new more spacious whelping box (below). Which we have adapted from Rosie's (who whelped in it for the first time) litter. Her pups kept getting stuck under the rail, which was more like a shelf and far too low. The pig rail stops Mum squashing pups against the sides of the whelping box.