From what she said, I would assume that maybe she thought that she would need one during birth and when she did it without one, that has made her really proud, she may have just been doubting her own pain threshold.

FWIW, you don't have to be a martyr when giving birth, if you need/want an epidural then have one. When giving birth we do what we have to to be able to get through it - often having an epidural is what you need to get you to the final hurdle.