For a long time, pregnant women have felt the responsibility and guilt regarding stress during their pregnancy and how this may impact their developing, unborn child. Not only are women worried about their diet, exercise and other health factors when carrying the child but also their own personality and how they respond to stress and whether they could pass this onto their child.

Is this the mother's sole responsibility? It seems to make sense that as the baby is growing inside the womb then whatever the mother is doing, eating, etc. will have a direct impact on that developing baby. 

However, a recent article in the New Scientist explains that Epigenetic changes in DNA maeans that Dads have a shared responsibility. Offspring have two sets of genes combined to make up their DNA and in conception, they inherit genes from both parents.  
New studies show that men who have suffered trauma or significantly stressful events, such as divorce in the family, can carry a modified DNA which is passed onto their offspring through their sperm. These men weren't necessarily born with this modified DNA but certain chemical changes through epigenetic mechanisms in response to outside influencers during the lifetime of that father modified the DNA. This modified DNA was found to be present in sperm, showing a trans-generational modification to the unborn child.  

Mothers have often felt the focus and guilt of a child who is fretful or has difficulty coping with stressful situations as a baby, toddler or later in life. However, this research shows that it is a combination of the mothers and fathers DNA and personalities which impacts the unborn child's DNA and predisposition to certain behaviours. This helps to understand what factors have impacted these predispositions and how this manifests in the child's coping mechanisms and behaviour. The hope is that a more detailed understanding will enable targeted interventions, which could, in turn, modify the DNA of the child through Epigenetic mechanisms.
​​www.newscientist.com/article/2168952-changes-in-your-sperm-reveal-if-youve-had-a-difficult-life/