am I in labor?

This morning I came really close to going to the hospital. I started having contractions at 4:30 am and they were pretty intense and consistent most of the morning. But they weren't painful, just really tight. Does that make sense? When I would get up and do stuff, they weren't as strong so I thought they were just my regular ol' Braxton Hicks that I've been having for months now. But then every time I'd lay back down, they were really intense again. And now I'm having them again off and on.

I had an appointment at 10:00 this morning and the doctor said I could be laboring since I am 4 cm. He offered to hook me up to monitors, but I figured that would only tell me I'm having contractions and I already know that. He did say that if they seem consistent at all to go on into the hospital. He made it sound like they would probably just keep me since I'm dilated and contracting.

But this isn't like my last labor at all, so I'm just not sure. With Millie, I woke up at 12:30 am, started having intense contractions that soon became extremely painful and had Millie at 2 am, after they broke my water. So, if these contractions start getting painful, I'm definitely heading straight for the hospital!

Maybe these are just Braxton Hicks. I don't know. But if I don't have this baby this weekend, then I will be induced Monday morning at 7. So I will at least be holding this baby in my arms by Monday!!!

Kinda funny, though - if this baby is born today, he'll share a birthday with my niece Clara. Tomorrow is his Uncle Mark's b-day and Sunday is his Uncle Trent's b-day and Millie was born on my nephew Kaiden's b-day, which is Wednesday. My other niece Taryn has a b-day on the 29th, and of course my other daughter's b-day is just a week later on Sept 3rd. Crazy times. Let the birthday season begin!