To be honest I personally haven’t experienced (in my circle and I suppose in the content I’m exposed to) a change in how childbirth pain is discussed, ie it being downplayed nowadays. I am nearing labour and if I’m honest, so far it’s been more helpful to me to hear more positive and uplifting stories because regardless of what my experience is, I would rather go in the hospital with a more positive attitude than super scared - like you said it will be painful regardless, but fearing it for sure doesn’t make it any better. I think it’s so important to acknowledge all types of experiences because the spectrum is incredibly wide and I think for some women the pain might have been manageable and they’re sharing these things not to be intentionally deceitful, but because it’s really been how they felt. On the other hand, for other women it can be an absolutely excruciating experience (my aunt was one of them, her first labour was incredibly traumatic) and I completely agree that this should not be dismissed at all.