I didn't feel them at all early on and midway through in my first pregnancy. It was actually only towards the end when my OB was feeling my tummy during an examination that he told me I was experiencing a BH and we had to wait until it was over before he could continue. That is how I know what they feel like. Your tummy just gets really hard and if you try and feel your baby inside (usually I can make out where her back is etc. if I feel my belly), you can't really because your uterine muscles are so taut. This pregnancy, however, I can feel the tightening and I believe I am experiencing far more BH's that in the first. Apparently they can be painful, but mine have never been.