Titty, you did actually sound quite sneering and doubting about the thought that LeQueen might have done other things in life that she felt were just as much of an achievement. Why would she have to be an elite athlete or polar explorer to feel that? Lots of women feel excited about lots of different things they experience and achieve in life. I totally knew what she meant.
Partly because I did not feel more of an achievement connected with my vaginal birth was any greater or more exciting than that of my caesarian 3 years later. In both cases, the excitement was about the baby, not about my achievement in pushing it out; I was far too taken up with the baby to even think about that. I didn't mind having a vaginal labour: it just didn't do a lot for me. But having a baby totally did 
.
Also because far as I am concerned, bonding with my babies and parenting them has been more exciting than the night of giving birth. In fact to me, saying that the night you give birth has to be the parenting experience is like saying your wedding night has to be the most exciting time of your marriage. Why? It is only the start of years and years of exciting things to happen. There have been moments along the way that to me have been just as exciting and rewarding as giving birth itself. (tbh I don't remember that much about my wedding night either. But we've had our moments since 
).
Finally, because like LeQueen's friend I probably can think of at least 5 other things that have seemed equally rewarding and challenging. Let's see if I can list them:
i) My marriage to dh after we had sustained a 10 years long-distance relationship (different countries) during most of which we were too poor to even phone each other and could only afford to meet twice a year.
ii) Struggling through my PhD despite ill health, an uncertain future and the stress of the above-mentioned long distance relationship. Realising halfway through that my tutor had picked a totally unsuitable subject, far too demanding for a thesis, and then completing it anyway and to a standard where my book is still quoted on this subject 18 years later and probably will be for many years to come.
iii) As mentioned in a previous post, getting dd back on her feet and confident enough to dance in public despite her chronic and very painful condition.
iv) Managing to convince the authorities that dd was not being abused, but that she needed investiation and treatment, managing to push until we got it, to get her into a school that would look after her etc etc etc. Compared to the stress of that, 12 hours of labour with a TENS machine was a walk in the park- I'd do that again any day.
v) Re-establishing my subject (which I love) at my local university, where it had been abolished, and seeing it flourish and take off in a new guise.
But other women will have other things.