FTM, 36 weeks and 5 days. I woke up this morning at 3am with some sharp pains down super low. I felt like I was having small contractions but wasn't sure. I went to my doctor this morning and I am dilated to barely 1cm. However, they wanted to monitor the baby due to variability in his heartbeat. When I was hooked up they saw my contractions. Some of them were off the charts and they were happening every 3-4 hours. I don't feel like they hurt that much, but they are still happening the same as they have been since 3am. I can talk through them, although there are some that hurt a little worse, but I've been timing them and they are still about 3 mins apart. Has anyone experienced this? Does this mean active labor is coming soon? I know labor is supposed to hurt really bad, but am I gonna know when to go to the hospital if I'm already having close,consistent contractions and not really anything other than back pain?