labor

Question
how can i tell if my pit bull is going in to labor its her first time she is 57 weeks and she has getting really big recently and her private looks like its as if she is in heat if not bigger that got that way yesterday and i built a whelping place in the garage for her is that ok .

Answer
Diana,
start to take her temperature. Normal temp is 102 degrees. The nearer she gets to whelping (giving birth) the lower the temp goes.  When it hits 98 they are usually in labor.   Just before she goes in she should either start following you around anxiously, or hide under beds or in closets.  Put papers in the box so she can tear them up. Once she starts to nest (rummage around and dig in the box), you can watch for contractions.   She should have the pups within 24 hours of first contraction or she needs to go to the vet.
Also if she starts to pant and shake, she could be starting labor.  She needs to have a pup within about 15 hours or she needs to go to vet to be checked.  Sometimes they have a pup in them that gets stuck and cant come out.  This can cause death to the rest of the litter and the mom.   So keep a close watch.  Most of the time, pits don't have trouble though.  
I don't know where you live, if she is normally an outside dog, the garage is ok, as long as you have a small heater out there.  If she is an inside dog, the garage is not ok, as she will not understand why she is out there and the anxiety may affect how she is with the pups.
nancy