My labour was in my back - my right hip mostly and I felt nothing in my tummy. My tummy was hard though. I found that there was not much of a break between contractions and the best thing was leaning over a chair or bench and swaying my hips, or pacing up and down whilst jigging up and down. With contractions I also got my birth team to massage my lower back. It does sound like contractions to me!
ETA: Mine came at regular intervals, but can't remember if they increased throughout - just that it really hurt!