diff --git a/tokio-postgres/Cargo.toml b/tokio-postgres/Cargo.toml
index 34afad18..38c78807 100644
--- a/tokio-postgres/Cargo.toml
+++ b/tokio-postgres/Cargo.toml
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ tokio-codec = "0.1"
 tokio-io = "0.1"
 tokio-tcp = "0.1"
 tokio-timer = "0.2"
+want = "0.0.5"
 
 [target.'cfg(unix)'.dependencies]
 tokio-uds = "0.2"
diff --git a/tokio-postgres/src/lib.rs b/tokio-postgres/src/lib.rs
index e9fe7297..c95657a6 100644
--- a/tokio-postgres/src/lib.rs
+++ b/tokio-postgres/src/lib.rs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ extern crate tokio_codec;
 extern crate tokio_io;
 extern crate tokio_tcp;
 extern crate tokio_timer;
+extern crate want;
 
 #[macro_use]
 extern crate futures;
@@ -18,12 +19,13 @@ extern crate state_machine_future;
 #[cfg(unix)]
 extern crate tokio_uds;
 
-use futures::sync::mpsc;
 use futures::{Async, Future, Poll};
 use std::io;
 
 #[doc(inline)]
-pub use postgres_shared::{error, params};
+pub use postgres_shared::stmt::Column;
+#[doc(inline)]
+pub use postgres_shared::{error, params, types};
 #[doc(inline)]
 pub use postgres_shared::{CancelData, Notification};
 
@@ -46,12 +48,22 @@ fn disconnected() -> Error {
     ))
 }
 
-pub struct Client(mpsc::Sender<proto::Request>);
+pub struct Client(proto::Client);
 
 impl Client {
     pub fn connect(params: ConnectParams) -> Handshake {
         Handshake(proto::HandshakeFuture::new(params))
     }
+
+    /// Polls to to determine whether the connection is ready to send new requests to the backend.
+    ///
+    /// Requests are unboundedly buffered to enable pipelining, but this risks unbounded memory consumption if requests
+    /// are produced at a faster pace than the backend can process. This method can be used to cooperatively "throttle"
+    /// request creation. Specifically, it returns ready when the connection has sent any queued requests and is waiting
+    /// on new requests from the client.
+    pub fn poll_ready(&mut self) -> Poll<(), Error> {
+        self.0.poll_ready()
+    }
 }
 
 pub struct Connection(proto::Connection);
@@ -82,8 +94,8 @@ impl Future for Handshake {
     type Error = Error;
 
     fn poll(&mut self) -> Poll<(Client, Connection), Error> {
-        let (sender, connection) = try_ready!(self.0.poll());
+        let (client, connection) = try_ready!(self.0.poll());
 
-        Ok(Async::Ready((Client(sender), Connection(connection))))
+        Ok(Async::Ready((Client(client), Connection(connection))))
     }
 }
diff --git a/tokio-postgres/src/proto/client.rs b/tokio-postgres/src/proto/client.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d646aad5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tokio-postgres/src/proto/client.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+use futures::sync::mpsc;
+use futures::Poll;
+use postgres_protocol::message::backend::Message;
+use want::Giver;
+
+use disconnected;
+use error::Error;
+use proto::connection::Request;
+
+pub struct Client {
+    sender: mpsc::UnboundedSender<Request>,
+    giver: Giver,
+}
+
+impl Client {
+    pub fn new(sender: mpsc::UnboundedSender<Request>, giver: Giver) -> Client {
+        Client { sender, giver }
+    }
+
+    pub fn poll_ready(&mut self) -> Poll<(), Error> {
+        self.giver.poll_want().map_err(|_| disconnected())
+    }
+
+    pub fn send(&mut self, messages: Vec<u8>) -> Result<mpsc::Receiver<Message>, Error> {
+        let (sender, receiver) = mpsc::channel(0);
+        self.giver.give();
+        self.sender
+            .unbounded_send(Request { messages, sender })
+            .map(|_| receiver)
+            .map_err(|_| disconnected())
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tokio-postgres/src/proto/connection.rs b/tokio-postgres/src/proto/connection.rs
index 87905cb0..cfd8a0b6 100644
--- a/tokio-postgres/src/proto/connection.rs
+++ b/tokio-postgres/src/proto/connection.rs
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ use postgres_protocol::message::frontend;
 use std::collections::{HashMap, VecDeque};
 use std::io;
 use tokio_codec::Framed;
+use want::Taker;
 
 use error::{self, Error};
 use proto::codec::PostgresCodec;
@@ -27,7 +28,8 @@ pub struct Connection {
     stream: Framed<Socket, PostgresCodec>,
     cancel_data: CancelData,
     parameters: HashMap<String, String>,
-    receiver: mpsc::Receiver<Request>,
+    receiver: mpsc::UnboundedReceiver<Request>,
+    taker: Taker,
     pending_request: Option<Vec<u8>>,
     pending_response: Option<Message>,
     responses: VecDeque<mpsc::Sender<Message>>,
@@ -39,13 +41,15 @@ impl Connection {
         stream: Framed<Socket, PostgresCodec>,
         cancel_data: CancelData,
         parameters: HashMap<String, String>,
-        receiver: mpsc::Receiver<Request>,
+        receiver: mpsc::UnboundedReceiver<Request>,
+        taker: Taker,
     ) -> Connection {
         Connection {
             stream,
             cancel_data,
             parameters,
             receiver,
+            taker,
             pending_request: None,
             pending_response: None,
             responses: VecDeque::new(),
@@ -76,7 +80,10 @@ impl Connection {
                 Async::Ready(None) => {
                     return Err(Error::from(io::Error::from(io::ErrorKind::UnexpectedEof)));
                 }
-                Async::NotReady => return Ok(()),
+                Async::NotReady => {
+                    self.taker.want();
+                    return Ok(());
+                }
             };
 
             let message = match message {
@@ -100,7 +107,7 @@ impl Connection {
                 },
             };
 
-            let ready = match message {
+            let request_complete = match message {
                 Message::ReadyForQuery(_) => true,
                 _ => false,
             };
@@ -109,7 +116,7 @@ impl Connection {
                 // if the receiver's hung up we still need to page through the rest of the messages
                 // designated to it
                 Ok(AsyncSink::Ready) | Err(_) => {
-                    if !ready {
+                    if !request_complete {
                         self.responses.push_front(sender);
                     }
                 }
diff --git a/tokio-postgres/src/proto/handshake.rs b/tokio-postgres/src/proto/handshake.rs
index cccd9a4a..2521e90c 100644
--- a/tokio-postgres/src/proto/handshake.rs
+++ b/tokio-postgres/src/proto/handshake.rs
@@ -10,11 +10,13 @@ use state_machine_future::RentToOwn;
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 use std::io;
 use tokio_codec::Framed;
+use want;
 
 use error::{self, Error};
 use params::{ConnectParams, User};
+use proto::client::Client;
 use proto::codec::PostgresCodec;
-use proto::connection::{Connection, Request};
+use proto::connection::Connection;
 use proto::socket::{ConnectFuture, Socket};
 use {bad_response, disconnected, CancelData};
 
@@ -60,7 +62,7 @@ pub enum Handshake {
         parameters: HashMap<String, String>,
     },
     #[state_machine_future(ready)]
-    Finished((mpsc::Sender<Request>, Connection)),
+    Finished((Client, Connection)),
     #[state_machine_future(error)]
     Failed(Error),
 }
@@ -281,10 +283,17 @@ impl PollHandshake for Handshake {
                     let cancel_data = state.cancel_data.ok_or_else(|| {
                         io::Error::new(io::ErrorKind::InvalidData, "BackendKeyData message missing")
                     })?;
-                    let (sender, receiver) = mpsc::channel(0);
-                    let connection =
-                        Connection::new(state.stream, cancel_data, state.parameters, receiver);
-                    transition!(Finished((sender, connection)))
+                    let (sender, receiver) = mpsc::unbounded();
+                    let (giver, taker) = want::new();
+                    let client = Client::new(sender, giver);
+                    let connection = Connection::new(
+                        state.stream,
+                        cancel_data,
+                        state.parameters,
+                        receiver,
+                        taker,
+                    );
+                    transition!(Finished((client, connection)))
                 }
                 Some(Message::ErrorResponse(body)) => return Err(error::__db(body)),
                 Some(Message::NoticeResponse(_)) => {}
diff --git a/tokio-postgres/src/proto/mod.rs b/tokio-postgres/src/proto/mod.rs
index 541e3e87..16eb9c77 100644
--- a/tokio-postgres/src/proto/mod.rs
+++ b/tokio-postgres/src/proto/mod.rs
@@ -1,9 +1,15 @@
+mod client;
 mod codec;
 mod connection;
 mod handshake;
+mod prepare;
 mod socket;
+mod statement;
 
+pub use proto::client::Client;
 pub use proto::codec::PostgresCodec;
-pub use proto::connection::{Connection, Request};
+pub use proto::connection::Connection;
 pub use proto::handshake::HandshakeFuture;
+pub use proto::prepare::PrepareFuture;
 pub use proto::socket::Socket;
+pub use statement::Statement;
diff --git a/tokio-postgres/src/proto/prepare.rs b/tokio-postgres/src/proto/prepare.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..dcf5ef7e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tokio-postgres/src/proto/prepare.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+use futures::sync::mpsc;
+use postgres_protocol::message::backend::Message;
+
+use error::Error;
+use proto::connection::Request;
+use proto::statement::Statement;
+
+#[derive(StateMachineFuture)]
+pub enum Prepare {
+    #[state_machine_future(start)]
+    Start {
+        sender: mpsc::UnboundedSender<Request>,
+        receiver: Result<mpsc::Receiver<Message>, Error>,
+        name: String,
+    },
+    #[state_machine_future(ready)]
+    Finished(Statement),
+    #[state_machine_future(error)]
+    Failed(Error),
+}
diff --git a/tokio-postgres/src/proto/statement.rs b/tokio-postgres/src/proto/statement.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..407e18b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tokio-postgres/src/proto/statement.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+use futures::sync::mpsc;
+use postgres_protocol::message::frontend;
+use postgres_shared::stmt::Column;
+
+use proto::connection::Request;
+use types::Type;
+
+pub struct Statement {
+    sender: mpsc::UnboundedSender<Request>,
+    name: String,
+    params: Vec<Type>,
+    columns: Vec<Column>,
+}
+
+impl Drop for Statement {
+    fn drop(&mut self) {
+        let mut buf = vec![];
+        frontend::close(b'S', &self.name, &mut buf).expect("statement name not valid");
+        let (sender, _) = mpsc::channel(0);
+        self.sender.unbounded_send(Request {
+            messages: buf,
+            sender,
+        });
+    }
+}
+
+impl Statement {
+    pub fn new(
+        sender: mpsc::UnboundedReceiver<Request>,
+        name: String,
+        params: Vec<Type>,
+        columns: Vec<Column>,
+    ) -> Statement {
+        Statement {
+            sender,
+            name,
+            params,
+            columns,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn params(&self) -> &[Type] {
+        &self.params
+    }
+
+    pub fn columns(&self) -> &[Column] {
+        &self.columns
+    }
+}