37+4 Prodromal labor/ 2nd pregnancy

So this is my second pregnancy. With my first I delivered at 40+2 and had a rapid birth: start to finish it was 3.5 hours. So with this pregnancy I’ve been advised to take precaution as I could be more likely to have another rapid labor. I’ve definitely had more Braxton Hicks contractions this pregnancy and today started to feel contractions that began around noon but feeling different from the typical BH I’d been having. I began timing and decided to call my midwife after an hour and a half of them; started out sporadic and then seemed to be every 5 min. Got to my birthing center and I was checked- 3-4cm dilated and 50% effaced. I was there a total of 3.5 hours and no change in stats, and contractions would come and go but no change in intensity. Part of me is just confused, because I’ve never experienced this before, part of me is disappointed because I thought maybe this was just going to be a “normal” labor, I.e. not as fast and a typical length of time. But no.. alas my contractions have no subsided except for a few here and there. Anyone else experience this???