False alarm or early labor?

37+4 I was driving home (about a two hour drive) from dropping my mom off and started experiencing pretty bad contractions. They were consistent and definitely not Braxton Hicks. This is baby #3 for me so when I happened upon a major accident that backed the highway up to a full stop for 30 miles of nothing but barren desert, I started sobbing not only because of the pain of the contractions but at the thought of potentially having Hendrix be born at a rest stop alone 😳 Thankfully we made it after an extra hour added to the trip during which the contractions were every 5 minutes lasting for 45 seconds to over a minute each. I called my OBs office once I had cell service again and the on-call doctor suggested I go to the hospital right away. I stopped at home had something to eat because I was starving, I showered with help from my SO, packed my hospital bag that I had neglected to pack until last night. By the time I was finished the contractions were much further apart and less painful. I decided to go in any way to get checked out so they monitored me and I was definitely having contractions but made no progress over 3 hours (they called them inefficient contractions) I went from a 1 to a 1.5 👎 They gave me the choice of staying and being on Pitocin potentially or going home and it may take several hours to several days to see any progress. I decided to go home. I wasn't able to get any sleep last night but I did sleep for most of the day today off and on while my kids are at school. I am still having contractions they are not as painful and very sporadic. Anyone else experience the same sort of ordeal and just have labor pretty much stop after being so intense? I do want labor to start again so I have been going up and down the stairs, having a warm bath etc. But so far nothing particularly painful or consistent 🤷 Any advice or suggestions are welcomed ♥