diff --git a/protocol/extend.go b/protocol/extend.go
index 4bfe5b6..ec5f8dd 100644
--- a/protocol/extend.go
+++ b/protocol/extend.go
@@ -8,16 +8,6 @@ var ParseComplete = []byte{'1', 0, 0, 0, 4}
 // BindComplete is sent when backend prepared a portal and finished planning the query
 var BindComplete = []byte{'2', 0, 0, 0, 4}
 
-// CreatesTransaction tells weather this is a frontend message that should start/continue a transaction
-func (m *Message) CreatesTransaction() bool {
-	return m.Type() == Parse || m.Type() == Bind
-}
-
-// EndsTransaction tells weather this is a frontend message that should end the current transaction
-func (m *Message) EndsTransaction() bool {
-	return m.Type() == Query || m.Type() == Sync
-}
-
 // transaction represents a sequence of frontend and backend messages
 // that apply only on commit. the purpose of transaction is to support
 // extended query flow.
diff --git a/protocol/transport.go b/protocol/transport.go
index d9902ed..e422ab2 100644
--- a/protocol/transport.go
+++ b/protocol/transport.go
@@ -9,56 +9,50 @@ import (
 
 // NewTransport creates a protocol
 func NewTransport(r io.Reader, w io.Writer) *Transport {
-	backend, _ := pgproto3.NewBackend(r, nil)
 	return &Transport{
-		R:           r,
-		W:           w,
-		frontReader: backend,
+		w: w,
+		r: newReader(r),
 	}
 }
 
 // Transport manages the underlying wire protocol between backend and frontend.
 type Transport struct {
-	R           io.Reader
-	W           io.Writer
-	frontReader *pgproto3.Backend
+	w           io.Writer
+	r           *reader
 	initialized bool
 	transaction *transaction
 }
 
 // StartUp handles the very first messages exchange between frontend and backend of new session
-func (t *Transport) StartUp() (Message, error) {
+func (t *Transport) StartUp() (msg Message, err error) {
 	// read the initial connection startup message
-	raw, err := t.readBody()
+	msg, err = t.r.readRawMessage()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	msg := Message(raw)
-
 	if msg.IsCancel() {
 		return msg, nil
 	}
 
+	// ssl request. see: SSLRequest in https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/protocol-message-formats.html
 	if msg.IsTLSRequest() {
 		// currently we don't support TLS.
-		err := t.Write(TLSResponse(false))
+		err = t.Write(TLSResponse(false))
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 
-		raw, err := t.readBody()
+		msg, err = t.r.readRawMessage()
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		msg = Message(raw)
 	}
 
 	v, err := msg.StartupVersion()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-
 	if v != "3.0" {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unsupported protocol version %s", v)
 	}
@@ -78,14 +72,14 @@ func (t *Transport) endTransaction() (err error) {
 	return
 }
 
-// NextMessage reads and returns a single message from the connection when available.
+// NextFrontendMessage reads and returns a single message from the connection when available.
 // if within a transaction, the transaction will read from the connection,
 // otherwise a ReadyForQuery message will first be sent to the frontend and then reading
 // a single message from the connection will happen
 //
-// NextMessage expects to be called only after a call to StartUp without an error response
+// NextFrontendMessage expects to be called only after a call to StartUp without an error response
 // otherwise, an error is returned
-func (t *Transport) NextMessage() (msg pgproto3.FrontendMessage, err error) {
+func (t *Transport) NextFrontendMessage() (msg pgproto3.FrontendMessage, err error) {
 	if !t.initialized {
 		err = fmt.Errorf("transport not yet initialized")
 		return
@@ -98,7 +92,7 @@ func (t *Transport) NextMessage() (msg pgproto3.FrontendMessage, err error) {
 		if err != nil {
 			return
 		}
-		msg, err = t.readFrontendMessage()
+		msg, err = t.r.readFrontendMessage()
 	}
 	if err != nil {
 		return
@@ -120,53 +114,61 @@ func (t *Transport) NextMessage() (msg pgproto3.FrontendMessage, err error) {
 }
 
 func (t *Transport) readFrontendMessage() (pgproto3.FrontendMessage, error) {
-	return t.frontReader.Receive()
+	return t.r.readFrontendMessage()
 }
 
 // Read reads and returns a single message from the connection.
-func (t *Transport) Read() (Message, error) {
-	typeChar := make([]byte, 1)
-
+func (t *Transport) Read() (msg Message, err error) {
 	if t.initialized {
-		// we've already started up, so all future messages are MUST start with
-		// a single-byte type identifier.
-		_, err := t.R.Read(typeChar)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
+		return t.r.readTypedMessage()
 	}
-	// read the actual body of the message
-	msg, err := t.readBody()
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+	return t.r.readRawMessage()
+}
+
+// Write writes the provided message to the client connection
+func (t *Transport) Write(m Message) error {
+	if t.transaction != nil {
+		return t.transaction.Write(m)
 	}
+	return t.write(m)
+}
 
-	if typeChar[0] != 0 {
+func (t *Transport) write(m Message) error {
+	_, err := t.w.Write(m)
+	return err
+}
 
-		// we have a typed-message, prepend it to the message body by first
-		// creating a new message that's 1-byte longer than the body in order to
-		// make room in memory for the type byte
-		body := msg
-		msg = make([]byte, len(body)+1)
+func newReader(r io.Reader) *reader {
+	return &reader{r: r}
+}
 
-		// fixing the type byte at the beginning (position 0) of the new message
-		msg[0] = typeChar[0]
+type reader struct {
+	r           io.Reader
+	frontReader *pgproto3.Backend
+}
 
-		// finally append the body to the new message, starting from position 1
-		copy(msg[1:], body)
+func (r *reader) readTypedMessage() (Message, error) {
+	msgType := Message(make([]byte, 1))
+	_, err := r.r.Read(msgType)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	return Message(msg), nil
+	body, err := r.readRawMessage()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return append(msgType, body...), nil
 }
 
-// readBody reads the body of the next message in the connection. The body is
+// readRawMessage reads un-typed message in the connection. The message is
 // comprised of an Int32 body-length (N), inclusive of the length itself
 // followed by N-bytes of the actual body.
-func (t *Transport) readBody() ([]byte, error) {
+func (r *reader) readRawMessage() (Message, error) {
 	// messages starts with an Int32 Length of message contents in bytes,
 	// including self.
 	lenBytes := make([]byte, 4)
-	_, err := io.ReadFull(t.R, lenBytes)
+	_, err := io.ReadFull(r.r, lenBytes)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -176,7 +178,7 @@ func (t *Transport) readBody() ([]byte, error) {
 
 	// read the remaining bytes in the message
 	msg := make([]byte, length)
-	_, err = io.ReadFull(t.R, msg[4:]) // keep 4 bytes for the length
+	_, err = io.ReadFull(r.r, msg[4:]) // keep 4 bytes for the length
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -187,15 +189,13 @@ func (t *Transport) readBody() ([]byte, error) {
 	return msg, nil
 }
 
-// Write writes the provided message to the client connection
-func (t *Transport) Write(m Message) error {
-	if t.transaction != nil {
-		return t.transaction.Write(m)
+// readFrontendMessage reads and returns a single decoded typed message from the connection.
+func (r *reader) readFrontendMessage() (msg pgproto3.FrontendMessage, err error) {
+	if r.frontReader == nil {
+		r.frontReader, err = pgproto3.NewBackend(r.r, nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			return
+		}
 	}
-	return t.write(m)
-}
-
-func (t *Transport) write(m Message) error {
-	_, err := t.W.Write(m)
-	return err
+	return r.frontReader.Receive()
 }
diff --git a/protocol/transport_test.go b/protocol/transport_test.go
index 5f33575..0179727 100644
--- a/protocol/transport_test.go
+++ b/protocol/transport_test.go
@@ -13,11 +13,11 @@ import (
 	"time"
 )
 
-func TestProtocol_StartUp(t *testing.T) {
+func TestTransport_StartUp(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Run("supported protocol version", func(t *testing.T) {
 		buf := bytes.Buffer{}
 		comm := bufio.NewReadWriter(bufio.NewReader(&buf), bufio.NewWriter(&buf))
-		p := &Transport{W: comm, R: comm}
+		transport := NewTransport(comm, comm)
 
 		_, err := comm.Write([]byte{
 			0, 0, 0, 8, // length
@@ -29,14 +29,15 @@ func TestProtocol_StartUp(t *testing.T) {
 		err = comm.Flush()
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 
-		_, err = p.StartUp()
+		_, err = transport.StartUp()
 		require.NoError(t, err)
+		require.Equal(t, true, transport.initialized)
 	})
 
 	t.Run("unsupported protocol version", func(t *testing.T) {
 		buf := bytes.Buffer{}
 		comm := bufio.NewReadWriter(bufio.NewReader(&buf), bufio.NewWriter(&buf))
-		p := &Transport{W: comm, R: comm}
+		transport := NewTransport(comm, comm)
 
 		_, err := comm.Write([]byte{
 			0, 0, 0, 8, // length
@@ -48,7 +49,7 @@ func TestProtocol_StartUp(t *testing.T) {
 		err = comm.Flush()
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 
-		_, err = p.StartUp()
+		_, err = transport.StartUp()
 		require.Error(t, err, "expected error of unsupported version. got none")
 	})
 }
@@ -78,7 +79,7 @@ func runStory(t *testing.T, conn io.ReadWriter, steps []pgstories.Step) error {
 	return err
 }
 
-func TestProtocol_Read(t *testing.T) {
+func TestTransport_Read(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Run("standard message flow", func(t *testing.T) {
 		f, b := net.Pipe()
 
@@ -90,7 +91,7 @@ func TestProtocol_Read(t *testing.T) {
 
 		msg := make(chan pgproto3.FrontendMessage)
 		go func() {
-			m, err := transport.NextMessage()
+			m, err := transport.NextFrontendMessage()
 			require.NoError(t, err)
 
 			msg <- m
@@ -120,7 +121,7 @@ func TestProtocol_Read(t *testing.T) {
 
 			go func() {
 				for {
-					_, err := transport.NextMessage()
+					_, err := transport.NextFrontendMessage()
 					require.NoError(t, err)
 				}
 			}()
@@ -143,7 +144,7 @@ func TestProtocol_Read(t *testing.T) {
 
 			go func() {
 				for {
-					m, err := transport.NextMessage()
+					m, err := transport.NextFrontendMessage()
 					require.NoError(t, err)
 
 					err = nil
diff --git a/session.go b/session.go
index cdad00d..301fa0b 100644
--- a/session.go
+++ b/session.go
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ func (s *session) Serve() error {
 
 	// query-cycle
 	for {
-		msg, err := t.NextMessage()
+		msg, err := t.NextFrontendMessage()
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}