Contraction ? for 2+ mommas

JosF21

I feel a little silly asking this because this is my second pregnancy, but with my first I knew I was in labor because my water broke. What do true contractions really feel like in the beginning? Last night I started getting these pains that started in my back and worked their way forward. They felt like period cramps but were more widespread. They were coming about every 15 minutes, and weren't too painful but almost made me feel nauseous until they went away. Anyone feel like this before? I have also had some diahrrea the last few days so I thought maybe it was just that, but it felt different than stomach cramps. Maybe just BH?