Jackaroo - I certainly don't think it is anything to be in awe of, if anything I am in awe of what friends who had difficult births went through - but at the end of the day - you are there, you are in labour, and you don't have any farking choice, it has to come out one way or another doesn't it!
ds1 was a 2 hour birth, pushing (and screaming like a banshee ) for the 2nd hour, but no tearing at all and definately 'easy' compared to a lot of other people.
I didn't talk about it too much because everyone else seemed to have horred stories and would just say "lucky cow" and launch into another horror story, leaving me feeling somewhat belittled.
ds2 quite literally fell out in a 15 minute labour, and I do talk more about that one - because it is a 'story' in its own right (birthing my own baby unattended) as well as being quick.
BUT, I am totally unfit, did not 'prepare' in any way for either labour (was in total denial that it was going to happen with no.1 and would have happily had an elective section if they had said it was breach) and consider myself to have a low pain threshold - so presumably my body is pretty well built for actual childbirth (not for pg unfortunately, the 8 mo preceeding the births were pretty crap).
Also, my mum had reasonably quick labours with my brother and me (no where near as quick as mine but 8 hrs with no 1 and shorter with no 2) and my maternal grandmother had her no 5 when she went to the loo.
So I kind of presume that there is something genetic about it.