CONTRACTIONS??

I am currently 40w 3D, I was seen by my doctor this morning she pushed very hard on my cervix to the point where I screamed. I also had this super thick mucus come out of me (which I’m assuming was my Mucus plug that also contained blood.) I was told I’m 2-3 cm dilated and 75% effaced and my cervix is also soft. Since then, I have started having Contractions that are 5 minutes apart lasting from 20-30 seconds. Is this considered active labor? They are tolerable contractions for me, but I also have had very painful periods in the past aswell.