Hi everyone!

At around 5 last night I started having period like cramps and painless contractions. They were at irregular intervals, but pretty consistent. I wasn't in any actual pain so I went to bed around 10. I woke up repeatedly throughout the night feeling the cramping as well as heartburn. I got up around 545 this morning and the cramps and contractions had subsided. Now at almost 10 am I'm feeling the tightening again. Can I assume that this is the first stage of early labor and I should just keep waiting for the contractions to get stronger? How long is this stage going to take before going into active labor? Any insight anyone can give me would be much appreciated!