What do contractions feel like?

Generally speaking, women feel contractions as a painful tightening of the muscles of the uterus (womb), although they actually start at the top of your bump and progress to the bottom of the bump you may experience more pain and a feeling of pressure in the lower part of your abdomen, top of your thighs and pelvis as baby is pushed down by the contraction. Some women experience the pain in their tummy; others experience labour pain as backache. It tends to start as something that can be compared to a severe period pain, gradually increasing in intensity and frequency; however the degree of pain felt will be different for all women.

Myles Textbook for Midwives