Not Braxton Hicks but no baby

kristinyoung111

I'm asking this just because I'm curious how many other moms have/are experiencing this and for how long. The past three days I have started getting contractions that I would still consider uncomfortable rather than painful, but they don't seem like Braxton Hicks contractions anymore. They will come in waves, with a definitely peak and a decline. Usually at the peak it feels like I am having a menstrual cramp and I will sometimes experience shortness of breath. They do go from my back to my front or vice versa. They still haven't had much of a pattern, though I've had spans where they have occurred several times in one hour. I went to the hospital Sunday for a possible leak in my waters, and they checked my effacement and said I was 70%, which seemed to be improvement from my Friday checkup at the OB/GYN. These contractions don't ease up or go away with movement or water. I'm guessing these are "real" contractions?