Question about pregnancy

So, this will probably come across as a stupid question but, I'm a ftm, I've never been around pregnancies before, other than cats or dogs, and I went to the er last night cause I'd been cramping on amd off all day in my lower abdomen and back, and I'm 37+6, well the nurses checked me and hooked me up to the monitors, and said that they only picked up 1 contraction and I was dialated 1 cm, 25% effaced and at a -3 position, my question is, what does that mean