yes a bit

I found a warm bath really helped me. I had also borrowd a tens machine off a friend and i used to put a hot flannel on my stomach.

Yep, I also notice that if I am busting for a wee I get some.

Yes, its normal not to have contractions yet. 37 weeks is considered "full term" but a full term pregnancy is 37-42 weeks.

NO because braxton hicks is just a temporary contraction, not increasing in frequency and interval.

It happened to me when I was pregnant. After that my OB/GYN had scheduled Induced labor at due date, they don't want you to be overdue, it's not good for the baby. Many women don't even notice Braxton-Hicks especially if they are very busy, and it is nothing to worry about and is not a predictor of how your labor will go. research has shown that a baby can safely go up to 2 weeks after the due date but by about 10 days most doctors will start thinking about induction.

No it wont dilate the cervix because it is not true labor.

Braxton Hicks Contractions are false contractions. They can be painful or you may not feel them at all. Your stomach muscles contract and will fill like your stomach is getting tight then they will release. Your stomach will feel hard during one. You can get them all the way through pregnancy but probably won't feel them until later in your pregnancy. They don't mean you're in labor but if you get one and they feel really painful I would call the doctor just to be safe. In late pregnancy they can become very close together and very painful and feel like the real thing. They can even thin your cervix. When this happens it's called false labor. If you have close painful contractions and think your in labor go to the hospital to be sure.

Then you're lucky I suppose. Not every woman experiences them, and almost all women experience them differently when they do occur. Some aren't bothered by them in the slightest whereas others are in serious discomfort because of them. They can start as early as 16 weeks, or as late as right before labor. I'm in my 4th pregnancy now and have had them begin at different times (and with different frequencies and intensities) for every pregnancy. All I know is that when real labor finally began, there was no mistaking it for Braxton Hicks!