Abstract Overview:
Women’s experiences of childbirth are strongly shaped by their subjective sense of security. While clinical safety remains a key focus in maternity care, the individual experience is still underexplored. Existing research often lacks methodological consistency and pays limited attention to the strategies women use to achieve or maintain a sense of security across different birth settings.

Aims and Objectives:
To develop a theoretical model of how mothers’ sense of security is constructed during pregnancy and childbirth.

Methods:
A qualitative grounded theory study was conducted, based on 50 interviews with mothers and fathers in Germany (4–16 months postpartum). Data were analysed using constant comparative methods in line with Corbin and Strauss’s grounded theory approach. This presentation focuses on selected intervening conditions relevant to mothers’ preparation strategies.

Results:
Feeling in good hands emerged as the main category for mothers’ sense of security during pregnancy and childbirth. Both women’s own needs and expectations, as well as the extent to which these are met within maternity care, are crucial for their sense of security. Mothers’ strategies to achieve a sense of security were shaped by several intervening conditions: personal characteristics, subjective birth concepts, knowledge and information, skills and attitudes of professionals, previous birth experiences or those within their social environment, and perceptions of the couple’s relationship. When women feel in good hands, they feel competent and able to actively engage with the birth process. Conversely, unmet needs and negative experiences often result in distress, insecurity, or feelings of exposure and not being heard.

Conclusion:
These findings highlight that maternal security during childbirth is shaped by a complex interplay of individual, social, and professional factors. Recognising and addressing these conditions in maternity care may enhance women's sense of security and contribute to a more positive birth experience and transition into motherhood.