[Health education in pregnancy and postpartum: meanings attributed by puerperal women].

Descriptive study, qualitative, that aimed to capture the content of social representations of puerperal women on health education in pregnancy and postpartum in primary health care. Users were 31 Family Health Centers in Fortaleza, Ceará, over 18 years in the postpartum period, with at least six visits to prenatal and one postpartum consultation. It was held a lexical analysis of data from semi-structured interviews with the software ALCESTE. The representations of puerperal women on health education are linked to institutional educational practices, with emphasis on lectures, family and school education, and community education. It predominate the traditional pedagogy, with the transmission of information, punctual and widespread. It is necessary to change the pedagogical logic, expanding educational groups with knowledge sharing.