Help??

I know you can get Braxton Hicks around like 20 weeks and have them up until you're due.. But can you tell me YOUR story? How long did you have them before they turned into actual contractions? I will be 27 weeks on Monday. Second baby. I just had 3 BH in under 5 minutes. It's a bit painful, but it doesn't feel AS bad as real contractions so maybe they aren't real?? I can't tell if I'm in pre term labor or not. I've been having heat flashes a lot today, along with heart burn, and the contractions make me feel like I have to poop a lot. And sometimes I just feel my stomach get hard but sometimes with no pain.