Braxton Hicks

so i thought i had till at least the 3rd tri before i started feeling this... lol I should be so lucky. I was laying down earlier and felt my whole stomach get hard, not painful or like a cramp, just hard.
at first i thought it may have been monkey moving the wrong way or that he kicked something in there and caused a reaction. but then i got an email from similac strong moms saying BH can start as early as 6wks! I put 2 and 2 together and guess what today's wasn't my first i've been feeling this "hardening" for some weeks now not consistent but there. Ok then well here is a more "medical" definition

Braxton Hicks contractions are sporadic uterine contractions that start about 6 weeks into your pregnancy, although you won't be able to feel them that early. You probably won't start to notice them until sometime after mid-pregnancy, if you notice them at all. (Some women don't.) They get their name from John Braxton Hicks, an English doctor who first described them in 1872.

As your pregnancy progresses, Braxton Hicks contractions tend to come somewhat more often, but until you get to your last few weeks, they'll probably remain infrequent, irregular, and essentially painless. Sometimes, though, Braxton Hicks contractions are hard to distinguish from early signs of preterm labor.

Play it safe and don't try to make the diagnosis yourself. If you haven't hit 37 weeks yet and you're having more than four contractions in an hour — or you have any other signs of preterm labor (see below) — call your caregiver immediately.

By the time you're within a couple of weeks of your due date, your contractions may get more intense and more frequent, and they may cause some discomfort. Unlike the earlier painless and sporadic Braxton Hicks contractions, which caused no obvious cervical changes, these contractions may help your cervix "ripen" — gradually soften and thin out (efface) and maybe even dilate a bit. This period is sometimes referred to as pre-labor.