Can anyone relate?

37 weeks and 4 days. So I went to the hospital as told so by my midwife after I was sick, could see black dots etc and felt really unwell all of a sudden today. They got me on the monitor to listen to baby for around half an hour. The doctor came to speak to me and said you are contracting right now. I couldn’t believe that the ‘cramping’ i had been feeling were contractions. You could see and feel my tummy go tight but I just have back ache, and normal stomach cramping that went into my legs slightly. She checked my cervix and said I was 1cm dilated and nearly fully effaced, just a thin layer of cervix before babies head. They obviously sent me home and said well done you’re in early labour. Go and try have a baby! My ‘contractions’ haven’t got worse they have stayed the same. In fact I have managed to get some sleep they are that un noticeable!

I am fully aware you can be 1cm dilated for weeks.

But has anyone had similar to me and ended up starting with ‘proper’ contractions soon and ended up going into proper labour within days rather than weeks?

Any tips to get things happening?