Where are you reading that, because I never implied any of it...
The birthing process is intensely traumatic and it sounds like you're taking offense that people hail mothers as "heroic" for going through that. What's there to argue? They inject numbing agents directly outside the spinal cord and it's still not enough. It's absolutely metal.
Saying (hypothetical you) having kids is purely selfless act that everyone is sacrificing themselves for, is a stretch, IMHO. It's just a tradeoff like many other things, it's tough but people do it because payoff is high as well. I hear a lot of times from people, as if there is no payoff and everyone should just be grateful of their kids, which sometimes comes off as trying to be heroic about it.
That said, not all parents should be regarded in the same way, and GOOD parents should be celebrated.
*Also, you can raise a good person or easily fail to do so and risk what amounts to all the anti-social behavior in society. So in a way, yes it's all about the rearing and not the birthing.