they are practice contractions that you can feel on top of the uterus when you get close to your due date, but in my case they did get painful. some women handle it differently then others so its like a toss up.
but they are irregular intensity, infrequent, unpredictable, nonrhythmic, and they just feel more uncomfortable then painful although some womens braxton hicks can be painful. they do not increase in intensity or frequency then they taper off and disappear all together
Doctors told me they are like practice contractions just not as painful