Egypt’s plan completely backfires, with Israel continuing to grow and spread abroad in Egypt. And Israel does not only grow in spite of the oppression but in proportion to it: The more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad.
That is, the more Egypt tries to contain Israel, the more they grow. Since it would have taken several years for this trend to become clear, this oppression must have continued for quite some time before Pharaoh approached the midwives (Exodus 1:15).
12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel.