No, not the norm at all! As the others have said, good attachment is the key, so make sure you get plenty of help in the early days. And prepare yourself well

That's not to say to BFing is not totally without pain in the first week or so......it can be uncomfortable for the first 30 seconds or so when bub latches on, but that should settle, and there should definitely NOT be any bleeding or cracked nipples. And your bbs will be sore when your milk comes in, but again, that will settle. And there's no way to prevent that, although there are things you can do to make it slightly more comfortable!