I'm another one who grows fantastically chubby babies, but who even out during the first 12mths. Although my first who was on the 90th centile for weight and above the 97th for length when he was born did stay way above the top centile band during toddler-hood, but now he is an average weight, slightly-above-average-height 7yo. My second was delightfully average from the word go LOL and is still on the 50th centile by my guess. My last two were different - both were well over the 97th centiles for weight and length at birth (another DD and DS) but now my DD is only on the 10th centile for weight at 4.5yo but on the 90th for height (she still wears a skirt in a size 00 that she got as a toddler - that's how skinny she is!) and my DS is on around the 50th for weight at 15mths and over the 97th for height. My last two are taking after their fathers side of the family (his maternal side) well and truly in the long and lanky stakes - DH is 6ft neat and very lean and his brother is 6'4 and also lean and their maternal Uncles are both 6'5 and lean as whips.

I can vouch for the placenta thing too - my placenta with my 4th baby was massive - it didn't even fit in the bowl they had it in before they took it away, it was hanging over the sides and when I asked to see it my middy spread it all out and it was the size of a dinner plate - I'm not kidding!

I've always thought that I just grow big babies and once they are born they grow how they are genetically meant to grow because they were all fed the same way and in the same environment etc. I think my eldest will be tall, but heavier built like my side of the family (who are all very tall and stocky), I think my 2nd will be a bit shorter (like me LOL) and average weight, but my youngest two will definately be bean poles - I do mean that in the nicest possible way LOL.

ETA - I actually get more sick of people commenting that my youngest should be bigger than he is when they hear how big he was born (over 10lb), like that means that he must have to be humungous because of his birth weight.