FTM. Please help. Could these period pains be contractions?

I should start by saying I’m 41+1. I have been losing my mucus plug for 3 weeks so not counting that as really an impending sign of labour. Last night I was so constipated and the baby kept rolling over onto what felt like my bowels and was giving me sharp pains so I took a natural stool softener. At about 4am I got up to use the washroom. Since then it feels like I need to keep taking a big poop but can’t. There’s a lot of pressure down there. Since about 7 am I’ve been having period like pains that come with tightening of my abdomen for about 30-50 seconds every ~10 minutes. I haven’t had any bloody show or anything like that. Just some lower back pain.

I live an hour and a half away from the hospital so don’t want to wait too long but I don’t want to go in for no reason and be sent back home. It’s also -35 Celsius here 🙄