prodromal labor

Alexandria
I'm a FTM and last Wednesday my cervix was dilated to 1 cm. Ever since, I have been having very irregular mild menstrual like cramps. Could this be prodromal labor? Has anyone else gone through this? If so how long did it last before you begin real labor? I am miserable and cannot imagine going through this for weeks before labor and then going through that. Any tips or advice on this subject??