Is this early stage of labour?

[Pinetreeland]

I am 38 + 4 have been having period like pain and lower back pain since Friday night and they got more and more regular. 3am this morning I woke up from the period pain and contraction (my belly went rock hard at the most intense part of the 'period pain'). I started timing them and they were about 3 minute apart and lasted 1 minute but wasn't very intense. I could still do other things (like googling whether this is the beginning of laobur ).

I felt asleep again at 5am and then woke up this morning and the contraction/period pain just simply disappeared.

Am I in early stage of labour that has stopped or was that braxton hicks?

Confused

I guess not? seeing my regular period pain hasn't quite come back at all today. :(

Ring your mw if you're worried, I was in the first stages of labour for a long time. Contractions would start and stop, I would get to the hospital and then it would all slow down and stop. Very annoying! Your mw can advice you but it doesn't sound like labour quite yet.

Braxton hicks don't tend to be that regular and close together. IMO there is no such thing as 'false' labour - it is simply warm up labour. Your cervix can be slowly dilating for ages before the big event and your uterus likes to have little practice runs.

Full labour could be tomorrow, or weeks away, dammit!

Good luck anyway x