diff --git a/src/options.rs b/src/options.rs
index d4f78304..a23e2a69 100644
--- a/src/options.rs
+++ b/src/options.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 use std::borrow::Cow;
 
-#[derive(Debug, Copy, Clone, PartialEq)]
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq)]
 pub struct ConnectOptions<'a> {
     pub host: Cow<'a, str>,
     pub port: u16,
diff --git a/src/postgres/connection/establish.rs b/src/postgres/connection/establish.rs
index c8509ca7..822e8898 100644
--- a/src/postgres/connection/establish.rs
+++ b/src/postgres/connection/establish.rs
@@ -3,19 +3,25 @@ use crate::{
     postgres::protocol::{Authentication, Message, PasswordMessage, StartupMessage},
     ConnectOptions,
 };
-use std::io;
+use std::{borrow::Cow, io};
 
 pub async fn establish<'a, 'b: 'a>(
     conn: &'a mut Connection,
     options: ConnectOptions<'b>,
 ) -> io::Result<()> {
+    let user = &*options.user.expect("user is required");
+    let password = &*options.password.unwrap_or(Cow::Borrowed(""));
+
     // See this doc for more runtime parameters
     // https://www.postgresql.org/docs/12/runtime-config-client.html
     let params = &[
         // FIXME: ConnectOptions user and database need to be required parameters and error
         //        before they get here
-        ("user", options.user.expect("user is required")),
-        ("database", options.database.expect("database is required")),
+        ("user", user),
+        (
+            "database",
+            &*options.database.expect("database is required"),
+        ),
         // Sets the display format for date and time values,
         // as well as the rules for interpreting ambiguous date input values.
         ("DateStyle", "ISO, MDY"),
@@ -44,9 +50,7 @@ pub async fn establish<'a, 'b: 'a>(
 
             Message::Authentication(Authentication::CleartextPassword) => {
                 // FIXME: Should error early (before send) if the user did not supply a password
-                conn.write(PasswordMessage::Cleartext(
-                    options.password.unwrap_or_default(),
-                ));
+                conn.write(PasswordMessage::Cleartext(password));
 
                 conn.flush().await?;
             }
@@ -54,8 +58,8 @@ pub async fn establish<'a, 'b: 'a>(
             Message::Authentication(Authentication::Md5Password { salt }) => {
                 // FIXME: Should error early (before send) if the user did not supply a password
                 conn.write(PasswordMessage::Md5 {
-                    password: options.password.unwrap_or_default(),
-                    user: options.user.unwrap_or_default(),
+                    password,
+                    user,
                     salt,
                 });
 
diff --git a/src/postgres/connection/mod.rs b/src/postgres/connection/mod.rs
index 203043f7..02a11eaa 100644
--- a/src/postgres/connection/mod.rs
+++ b/src/postgres/connection/mod.rs
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ pub struct Connection {
 
 impl Connection {
     pub async fn establish(options: ConnectOptions<'_>) -> io::Result<Self> {
-        let stream = TcpStream::connect((options.host, options.port)).await?;
+        let stream = TcpStream::connect((&*options.host, options.port)).await?;
         let mut conn = Self {
             wbuf: Vec::with_capacity(1024),
             rbuf: BytesMut::with_capacity(1024 * 8),