I agree with not going poking around in there too much - dilation isn't the be-all and end-all when it comes to birth - you can be 5cm's one minute and then 10 the next. Plus if you don't really know what you're feeling, there's not much point to doing it.

As for contractions, yes, you will feel them physically. Your stomach will go rock hard with each contraction. You'll feel the *pain* mostly down low, as that's where all the action is as each contraction is helping to firstly thin and efface the cervix before dilating it, so try to visualise each contraction pulling open your cervix. So you won't feel as much of the contraction up high on your bump, but it will go hard. BH's are different in that they are a constant pain, they don't have the distinctive peak and ebb of a contraction. They are usually quite a different sensation too. Your stomach generally doesn't go hard during BH's, but sometimes it can.