How long were you in early labor and did you know?

I’m 36+4 and I was told I’m in early labor, my back hurts and hips hurts, I have period like cramps, getting a lot of irregular contractions and my fingers and feet have gotten so fat over the past 4 days lol I just assume it was normal as I’m late in pregnancy!

Just curious as to if anyone else knew and how long were they in “early labor” til they got into active labor. The doctor said I could be in early labor for days🥲