A day or two before your dog will give birth, she usually stops eating. See this as a sign that the time is nearing. Always make sure, no matter how experienced you are, that you have a Vet ready to intervene if something goes wrong.
Let’s assume everything goes smooth and you have witnessed the birth of a healthy six puppy litter. Now the most important and first thing is momma’s nutrition. The older the puppies get, the more they will drink, and the more mommas need to eat.
Give her all the food she wants. Rule of thumb: you always pay for quality. The cheap dog foods at most stores is also cheap in nutrition! A minimum of 1600 digestible calories per pound of food and at least 21% of crude protein is a must. Read the label!!!! If your dog tends to gain weight, measure her food intake. If not, give her all the food she wants. If she starts to lose weight moisten her food or try switching to a more nutritionally dense brand.
After three or four weeks the pups will probably start playing with the food and start to get interested, which is also a good way to introduce them to solid food. At six to eight weeks most puppies are weaned and you can put your dog back on a normal diet, provided she has gained back her normal weight she had before she got pregnant.