diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index c6251d6f..748c2322 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -94,10 +94,3 @@ services:
     ports:
       - "8474:8474"
       - "19052:19052"
-    environment:
-      LOG_LEVEL: trace
-    healthcheck:
-      test: [ "CMD-SHELL", "echo healthy" ]
-      interval: 2s
-      timeout: 4s
-      retries: 5
diff --git a/lib/xandra/cluster/pool.ex b/lib/xandra/cluster/pool.ex
index 8c349ace..90c43562 100644
--- a/lib/xandra/cluster/pool.ex
+++ b/lib/xandra/cluster/pool.ex
@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@ defmodule Xandra.Cluster.Pool do
   alias Xandra.Cluster.{ConnectionPool, Host, LoadBalancingPolicy}
   alias Xandra.GenStatemHelpers
 
+  require Record
+
+  Record.defrecordp(:checkout_queue, [:max_size, :queue])
+
   ## Public API
 
   @spec start_link(keyword(), keyword()) :: :gen_statem.start_ret()
@@ -107,7 +111,7 @@ defmodule Xandra.Cluster.Pool do
 
     # A queue of requests that were received by this process *before* connecting
     # to *any* node. We "buffer" these for a while until we establish a connection.
-    reqs_before_connecting: %{
+    checkout_queue: %{
       queue: :queue.new(),
       max_size: nil
     },
@@ -142,8 +146,9 @@ defmodule Xandra.Cluster.Pool do
         {mod, opts} -> {mod, opts}
       end
 
-    queue_before_connecting_opts = Keyword.fetch!(cluster_opts, :queue_before_connecting)
-    queue_before_connecting_timeout = Keyword.fetch!(queue_before_connecting_opts, :timeout)
+    checkout_queue_opts = Keyword.fetch!(cluster_opts, :queue_checkouts_before_connecting)
+    checkout_queue_timeout = Keyword.fetch!(checkout_queue_opts, :timeout)
+    checkout_queue_max_size = Keyword.fetch!(checkout_queue_opts, :max_size)
 
     data = %__MODULE__{
       connection_options: pool_opts,
@@ -158,16 +163,13 @@ defmodule Xandra.Cluster.Pool do
       pool_size: Keyword.fetch!(cluster_opts, :pool_size),
       pool_supervisor: pool_sup,
       refresh_topology_interval: Keyword.fetch!(cluster_opts, :refresh_topology_interval),
-      reqs_before_connecting: %{
-        queue: :queue.new(),
-        max_size: Keyword.fetch!(queue_before_connecting_opts, :buffer_size)
-      },
+      checkout_queue: checkout_queue(queue: :queue.new(), max_size: checkout_queue_max_size),
       sync_connect_alias: sync_connect_alias_or_nil
     }
 
     actions = [
       {:next_event, :internal, :start_control_connection},
-      {{:timeout, :flush_queue_before_connecting}, queue_before_connecting_timeout, nil}
+      timeout_action(:flush_checkout_queue, checkout_queue_timeout)
     ]
 
     {:ok, :never_connected, data, actions}
@@ -178,67 +180,53 @@ defmodule Xandra.Cluster.Pool do
 
   def handle_event(:internal, :start_control_connection, _state, data) do
     case start_control_connection(data) do
-      {:ok, data} ->
-        {:keep_state, data}
-
-      :error ->
-        {:keep_state, data, {{:timeout, :reconnect_control_connection}, 1000, nil}}
+      {:ok, data} -> {:keep_state, data}
+      :error -> {:keep_state_and_data, timeout_action(:reconnect_control_connection, 1000)}
     end
   end
 
-  def handle_event(
-        :internal,
-        :flush_queue_before_connecting,
-        _state = :has_connected_once,
-        %__MODULE__{reqs_before_connecting: %{queue: queue}} = data
-      ) do
+  def handle_event(:internal, :flush_checkout_queue, :has_connected_once, %__MODULE__{} = data) do
+    checkout_queue(queue: queue) = data.checkout_queue
+
     {reply_actions, data} =
       Enum.map_reduce(:queue.to_list(queue), data, fn from, data ->
         {data, reply_action} = checkout_connection(data, from)
         {reply_action, data}
       end)
 
-    {:keep_state, data,
-     reply_actions ++ [timeout_action(:flush_queue_before_connecting, :infinity)]}
+    cancel_timeout_action = timeout_action(:flush_checkout_queue, :infinity)
+    {:keep_state, data, [cancel_timeout_action] ++ reply_actions}
   end
 
-  def handle_event(
-        {:timeout, :flush_queue_before_connecting},
-        nil,
-        _state = :never_connected,
-        %__MODULE__{} = data
-      ) do
-    actions =
-      for from <- :queue.to_list(data.reqs_before_connecting.queue),
-          do: {:reply, from, {:error, :empty}}
-
-    data = put_in(data.reqs_before_connecting, nil)
-
-    {:keep_state, data, actions}
+  def handle_event({:timeout, :flush_checkout_queue}, nil, :never_connected, %__MODULE__{} = data) do
+    {checkout_queue(queue: queue), data} = get_and_update_in(data.checkout_queue, &{&1, nil})
+    reply_actions = for from <- :queue.to_list(queue), do: {:reply, from, {:error, :empty}}
+    {:keep_state, data, reply_actions}
   end
 
-  # We already flushed once, so we won't keep adding requests to the queue.
-  def handle_event(
-        {:call, from},
-        :checkout,
-        _state = :never_connected,
-        %__MODULE__{reqs_before_connecting: nil}
-      ) do
+  # We have never connected, but we already flushed once, so we won't keep adding requests to
+  # the queue.
+  def handle_event({:call, from}, :checkout, :never_connected, %__MODULE__{checkout_queue: nil}) do
     {:keep_state_and_data, {:reply, from, {:error, :empty}}}
   end
 
-  def handle_event({:call, from}, :checkout, _state = :never_connected, %__MODULE__{} = data) do
-    %{queue: queue, max_size: max_size} = data.reqs_before_connecting
+  def handle_event({:call, from}, :checkout, :never_connected, %__MODULE__{} = data) do
+    checkout_queue(queue: queue, max_size: max_size) = data.checkout_queue
 
     if :queue.len(queue) == max_size do
       {:keep_state_and_data, {:reply, from, {:error, :empty}}}
     else
-      data = update_in(data.reqs_before_connecting.queue, &:queue.in(from, &1))
+      data =
+        put_in(
+          data.checkout_queue,
+          checkout_queue(data.checkout_queue, queue: :queue.in(from, queue))
+        )
+
       {:keep_state, data}
     end
   end
 
-  def handle_event({:call, from}, :checkout, _state = :has_connected_once, %__MODULE__{} = data) do
+  def handle_event({:call, from}, :checkout, :has_connected_once, %__MODULE__{} = data) do
     {data, reply_action} = checkout_connection(data, from)
     {:keep_state, data, reply_action}
   end
@@ -327,7 +315,7 @@ defmodule Xandra.Cluster.Pool do
       send(alias, {alias, :connected})
     end
 
-    actions = [{:next_event, :internal, :flush_queue_before_connecting}]
+    actions = [{:next_event, :internal, :flush_checkout_queue}]
     {:next_state, :has_connected_once, data, actions}
   end