New Milk - Arachichi

Japanese: 新乳 - あらちち

...Milk from other mammals (mainly cow's milk) has different ingredients and should be given to animals once they are able to eat omnivorous foods.
[Cultural History]
In Japan, there used to be a custom of discarding the colostrum, which is the breast milk immediately after birth, as "arachichi" (new milk), and instead receiving milk from the mother of another infant, a custom known as "milk-asing." However, since this custom can also be an opportunity for infection, even if it has social significance as a rite of passage, it is medically harmful and useless. JJ Rousseau emphasized that only by breast-feeding a child, rather than entrusting it to a wet nurse, can the bonds between parents and children and between husband and wife be strengthened and family life become more attractive.

From [Breastfeeding]

...Also, the baby was not breastfed until the meconium was produced, but was given sugar water or bancha tea soaked in cotton. The first breast milk, called arachichi (new milk), was not given as it was considered bad for the baby, and because breast milk production was poor, the custom of using someone else's milk for about two days after birth was widespread until around 1935. If the newborn baby was a boy, the request was often made to someone with a girl, and if the newborn baby was a girl, the request was made to someone with a boy; this was called chiawase (milk mixing) or aichichi...

*Some of the terminology that refers to "new milk" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…成分の異なる他の哺乳類の乳汁(おもに牛乳ではあるが)は，雑食が可能になってから与えられるべき食品である。牛乳人工栄養【沢田啓司】
【文化史】
　日本にはかつて，出産直後の母乳である初乳を〈新乳（あらちち）〉といって捨て，かわりに他の乳児の母親から乳をもらう〈乳合せ〉という風習があったが，感染の機会にもなるので，〈乳合せ〉には通過儀礼としての社会的意義はあるとしても，医学的には有害無益である。J.J.ルソーは乳母（うば）にゆだねずに子を母乳で育ててこそ，親子と夫婦のきずなが固くなり，家庭生活が魅力あるものになると強調した。…

【乳つけ】より

…またカニババ(胎便)が出るまでは授乳せず，砂糖水，番茶などを綿にふくませて吸わせた。最初の母乳はアラチチ(新乳)といって，よくないとして与えず，また母乳の出も悪いので，生後2日間くらいは他人の乳を用いる風習が昭和10年ころまでひろく行われていた。生児が男なら女児をもつ人，女なら男児をもつ人にたのむ場合が多く，チアワセ(乳合せ)，アイチチなどとよんでいる。…

※「新乳」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について | 情報

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