Labor... or not?

So I'm one of those people who hates to call the doctor because I'm afraid I'm being paranoid. Well, last night after my husband and I got into an argument (don't know if that has anything to do with this), I started having pains. They started at my lower back and wrapped around to all over my belly and my belly tightened up. I've had Braxton-Hicks contractions before, but they felt nothing like this. Btw, I have 24 more days til my due date. Anyway, since last night, I've had about 3 more of these "contractions". I don't know what to do....I have an OB appt tomorrow, so should I wait and just go tomorrow or does it sound serious and should I call them today??

only once they are constant would I call .
A couple in an hour or 2 wouldn't make me call personally .
more than 6 in an hour would though.

Sounds like the start of something to me.....but you know it could take days or weeks....the way you are describing them makes them sound like real contractions but look for other signs too...loss of plug, bloody show, diarrhea, burst of energy...with my first I was having those all day and not paying attention to them....then my water broke and when I got to the hospital I told them I was 13 minutes apart...when the nurse told me I was two minutes apart I said that's great I failed child birth can I have my epidural now....12 hours later he was delivered by c-section.

Thanks... I'm afraid that I'm going to miss all of the labor signs and not know when to call the doctor and all that.

i would start keeping track and pay attention to if they are getting more painful and closer. I was in labor at work for 6 hours and i knew i was in labor but didnt expect it, i never had bloody show, or any other signs labor was near. i was due 3 weeks after that and wasnt scheduled for my csection for another 10 days so i was totally unprepared. So drink some water, and start keeping track. Good luck  

I think you could hold off until your OB appt tomorrow, unless they get close together and form a pattern. Here is something I found on the internet since i've been up all night with the same thing you describe, but every 3-5 mins (hate to wake the midwife up too early, so waiting until 8am to have her come over and check me!):

Your question
At what point should a first-time mom call the doctor if she thinks labor has started? I don't want any false alarms!

The expert answers
This is a really important question to discuss with your caregiver. Each doctor has different guidelines just as each pregnant woman has different needs.
A general rule of thumb is to call when your contractions are five minutes apart, lasting for one minute or longer, and this has been happening for one hour. This is called 5-1-1. Other healthcare providers go by the rule of 3's. Contractions are three minutes apart, lasting 30 seconds or longer and this has been happening for 30 minutes. As you can see these are two different patterns and your labor might not fall into that pattern. Additionally, if you've a baby before you may have a shorter labor so it might be necessary to call sooner. Another reason to call is if your water breaks, or you think it might have but you are not sure
I tell my clients to discuss when to call with their doctors or midwives and then call when they think it is time to call or have a concern. Most healthcare providers have an on-call rotation so you don't have to worry about waking someone up in the middle of the night for a false alarm. The person who is on-call is expecting it and will help you make a decision if it is time to go to the hospital.